My Foreign Prince
by Bl00dyShad0w
Summary: Amu thought that she was finally blending in and that she was finally becoming one of the "normal kids." Unfortunately, Ami and her dad was taken in by the court of a strange country for doing something unacceptable, and the only way they can be free is if Amu trades in her own freedom. She has to marry the prince...but Tadase has strong feelings of his own. Will this work? AU!
1. Goodbye Freedom

**Hello fellow readers! I bet you all thought I was dead! MWAHAHAHA! Well, no. You see, I got a job. A very time consuming job. I'm just super pumped that my writing phase has returned and I now have more time to do write, since now I can actually have days off! It's great! **

**I came up with this scenario while I was daydreaming in class. I actually played the whole thing out in my head, too, with the main character being me. After a while, I decided this had to go on fanfiction somehow, but I couldn't figure out what anime I should use. And, trust me, I'll try not to discontinue it like I did with The Switch (for those of you who have read it). I should probably fix that story up though :/**

**Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy this story!**

**(And I hope that I have time to continue it later!)**

**By the way: Yaya, Kukai, Ikuto and Utau are in the same grade as Amu, and Ami is three years younger than her sister**

* * *

Hi. My name is Hinamori Amu. I am seventeen years old and I am currently attending an amazing school called Seiyo High. I have pink hair that falls just below my chest and golden eyes. I've always thought I would live a life where everyone avoided me because they thought I was stuck up, but in truth, I was actually very shy and timid. Well, that is, until I met the Guardians of Seiyo elementary. They helped me grow and I eventually began showing my true colors.

Everything has been going so well for me, and I forgot that strange things do happen.

It's been a week since Ami and my dad left to this weird, foreign country that isn't even on the map. I've never even heard of it until my dad brought it up just before he left.

As my little sister Ami grew older, her beauty became more noticeable to others, which helped my dad get his promotion.

They took a trip to a beautiful country, but from what I gathered, it was also boiling hot and there were very few people there. I could say that I'm jealous, but…I'm not. You'd think I would be jealous of my beautiful, famous sister, but I'm proud of her and I couldn't care less what status I'm in right now.

My mom was now a woman of pencil skirts. That was all I saw her in now, since her job requires her to dress like that. She sits at a desk in a fancy building and types stuff all day. I've never heard her complain before, so I assume that she likes what she is doing.

With my father being the photographer of Ami and my mother typing stuff in a fancy building, we were doing very well financially. We moved to a bigger house a year before I entered my final year in high school. Not only is it close to my school, but it is also very close to my best friend Rima's house.

She would come over all the time for sleepovers, and day after day she would tease me about my crush on Tadase, who is now head of the Guardians for Seiyo High. The only ones who stayed with the Guardians were Tadase, Kukai, and Nagihiko.

It's only been one month since we've started our final year in high school, but it already seems like forever. Most people have stopped the whole, "Cool and Spicy" chat, but there are still those moments. If anything else, I'm just another ordinary student.

"Amu! You're going to be late, dear!" My mom's voice echoed in my ear.

I thought I was still dreaming.

"Amu!"

My eyes snapped open. My mom's face was above mine, and on her face was an annoyed pout. She adjusted her glasses with her pointer finger and said, "Get ready! You don't want Rima waiting for you forever, do you?"

I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes as my mom stepped away and crossed her arms. Her brown hair was up in a bun and she was wearing…ugh. Her pencil skirt. The beige one, too.

Thinking that Rima was already here, I panicked and hopped out of bed like my life was on the line. Which, it actually was, since Rima hated to wait for me.

My mom rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed as I tripped on my own foot and landed on the floor.

"Rima isn't here yet, and won't be until probably a half hour. You're lucky that I woke you up when I did. Anyways, the food is on the table for the two of you."

She helped me get up and quickly kissed my cheek before I could cower away. "Love you. Be safe. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. She was treating me like a little girl again. "Yes, mom. Love you too. Drive safe."

After she left my room, I proceeded to changing into my school uniform.

Our school uniforms are pretty gothic looking. For males, they wore a black uniform shirt with dark blue lining, a blue tie and black pants. Girls wore a black shirt with a blue tie and a dark blue skirt. Personally, I love it.

After changing and taking care of my hygiene, I applied my blue X clip to my hair like I've always done throughout the years.

There was a knock on the door. I hurried out of my room and to the front door. The knockings were becoming more violent.

"Amu!" Came Rima's voice. She sounded annoyed, as if she expected me to answer the door for her a second after her first knock.

"Hai, hai!" I called. I almost slipped on the floor since my socks were making the hardwood ten times more slippery. I slid to the door and pushed my palms against it to stop myself.

"I'm here!" I panted as I unlocked the door. When I opened it, Rima was tapping her foot impatiently.

"About damn time," she commented with a small smile. I moved so that she could come inside.

Rima came in and took her shoes off by the door and placed them neatly next to mine on the ground. "So, breakfast? Please say yes, because you know I love your mom's cooking."

I looked down sadly and shook my head. "She left early, so she didn't have time to…"

"No way…" Rima's stomach made a noise. "Amu!" she whined. "Make me food!"

I laughed evilly. "The food is in the kitchen. I was just kidding, Rima."

She pouted and stomped into the kitchen.

There were two plates set out for us with a western breakfast waiting for us. Eggs and bacon.

We lost track of time as we ate, since we kept gossiping about kids in our school. We jumped up after looking at the time.

"Shoot!" Cried Rima as she ran to the door, slipping in the process. I did the same thing.

We grabbed our bag and quickly slipped on our shoes. After bursting out the door, I quickly locked it.

"Hurry, Amu!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

We stopped running after a while when we got cramps. When I checked my watch, we were in the clear. If we walked, we would make it with a couple minute to spare.

"So, how did Tadase's confession go?" she asked suddenly. I stopped.

"C-Confession?"

Rima stopped as well and stared at me blankly. "You mean…that pussy didn't have the balls to…" She face palmed and called herself an idiot. "I shouldn't have said anything. Sorry. I should have figured since you didn't mention anything sooner."

"Waitwaitwait….Can you please explain to me what this is about?"

"When Tadase was walking you home yesterday, he was supposed to confess. That was the plan. I should have known better and have taken matters into my own hand, but Kukai insisted that Tadase should confess this way. What a derp."

My face heated up. "T-T-Tadase was going to confess?!" I covered my mouth when I realized how badly I stuttered.

Rima smirked. "This could be interesting, actually."

We somehow made it to school on time. When I saw Tadase in the hall, we both blushed and looked away. Kukai was with him, so he looked a bit confused, since I'm sure he knew that his mission failed.

Nagihiko is in my class. He was already sitting down and writing things in his notebook. He looked up as I entered and waved at me.

He has been dating Rima for about a couple weeks now. We always knew that it would happen, since those two were so perfect together.

I took my seat up in the back corner as class was about to start. I could feel the heat radiating off my face as I remembered how Rima said that Tadase wanted to confess.

_Of all the girls who are dying to go out with him…_

I made sure to avoid the group as much as possible. I couldn't take more embarrassment. During lunch, I was about to sit at our table, but when Tadase looked at me, I quickly ran off with my tray. I had a good feeling that Rima was smirking at my back.

I sat down on a grassy hill overlooking the school's track. I sighed as I placed my elbows on my knees and rested my chin on my fists. After a few moments, I looked over at my tray and picked up the green apple. I took a bite and then realized that I had no appetite.

_I wonder what my friends are thinking of my right now…I wonder if anyone is even looking for me…but that side..._

I groaned and rolled over on my side as I tossed the apple at a nearby tree.

_I can't get Tadase out of my head, dammit! It's just one of those crushes though that usually go away after a while, right?_

"Yo, Amu," came a male voice. I sat up and looked at Kukai. He smiled at plopped down right next to me in the grass. He pulled him knees to him and looked over at me. "So Rima told me what happened. It sucks that you had to find out that way…but Rima said that this might make things better."

"I don't know about that," I mumbled as I pulled my legs towards me as well. "I mean, I ran away from you guys earlier because I was scared to confront Tadase."

"Well…then let's see if time can fix this. Maybe, after a little while, and some push, Tadase will actually talk to you about his feelings."

"Why does Tadase have to come to me first?"

He looked at me like I already knew the answer, which I did: I would never do anything that embarrassing, but Tadase would eventually, with plenty of push.

"I guess you're right," I said as I pushed myself up. I looked over at the school as the wind picked up. I looked over at Kukai to tell him that we should start heading in soon, but he was looking away nervously.

"What?" I asked as I stepped in front of him.

His face turned red. "Panties…"

I realized the position I was in and immediately clutched my skirt. I blushed. "K-Kukai! You pervert!"

After class, Nagihiko approached me after everyone else left the room. He looked at me worriedly and asked, "Why didn't you sit with us during lunch, Amu? Was it because of Tadase?"

I nodded my head. For some reason, I felt very comfortable around Nagihiko. Not because I've known him since elementary, but because I could see him as a gay guy. Not saying he's gay, but he obviously isn't since he's dating Rima…It's just, this vibe.

"Rima told Tadase to go after you," he said, "but all he did was blush and look at his food. Rima was getting angry, to the point where she kicked his leg underneath the table and yelled, 'you've known her for so long! Stop acting so shy, dammit!'"

I laughed as he mimicked Rima's voice.

"So," he continued after he finished laughing himself, "Kukai decided to go after you in hopes to calm down Rima since she was causing a scene. But…unfortunately…I think the whole school knows what's going on now after that. Sorry."

I collapsed on a chair and slammed my head onto the desk. "_No! _And after I thought things were finally getting normal!"

"Amu?" Asked Nagihiko gently as he placed his hand on my shoulder. "How _do_ you feel about Tadase? Be honest."

I thought for a long time, but I couldn't pull out a straight answer. Eventually, I lifted my head up and brushed my bangs out of my eyes. "I don't know…" I responded as I slowly stood up.

Nagihiko took a step back to give me some room.

"There you guys are!" cried Rima and she entered the room with Yaya.

"Amu!" cried Yaya as she ran and jumped on top of me. "Yaya missed you at lunch!"

"I missed you too, Yaya." I looked over at Rima and said, "we better get going. I don't want my mom to get annoyed when she sees that I'm not home yet."

Yaya let go of me. I walked with Nagihiko and Rima, and felt like the third wheel as they held hands and whispered in each other's ears. Usually, I would smile and think about how cute they look, but now, I just looked away and pictured me holding hands with Tadase.

"_Amu? How _do _you feel about Tadase? Be honest."_

Nadhiko's words kept me thinking for a long time. Long enough for me to not realize that we already arrived at my gates. I looked over at my mom's car, shocked.

"Why is she home so early?" I questioned out loud.

I didn't even hear Rima's response as I rushed to the front steps. I unlocked the door and gently opened up, because for some reason, I felt afraid. She never came home this early. When she comes home early, it's because of an emergency.

After locking the door behind me, I took my shoes off and placed them on the floor. I heard the sound of pacing.

I slowly walked into the living room where the noise was coming from, and saw my mom with her arms crossed, phone in her hand, pacing, and looking as though she cried a little.

"M-Mom?"

She suddenly stopped and looked at me.

"Oh, thank God. Amu, there is something I want to tell you…something happened."

I could see the worry in her face. I didn't say anything because I was too afraid to. I didn't want to know, since I wasn't sure if I'd be prepared for it or not.

My mom leaned against the back of the couch and checked her phone before looking back at me.

"Amu, your dad and Ami was taken in by the court of that foreign country they went to for doing something apparently illegal there."

"What…You mean…like arrested?!"

My mom nodded. My knees were feeling a bit weak, so I quickly took a seat on the couch.

My mom's phone chimed and she quickly answered the call.

"Moshi mosh?...yeah….yeah….wait….what do you mean they can't leave? ….Oh thank God….When will they be back, then?...what do you mean by that?"

I watched my mom go from worry, to relieved, and back to worried again. I sat there, questioning what the conversation was about, because it sounded as though dad and Ami were coming back, but a new problem has appeared.

My mom hung up and looked at me sluggishly. She looked distraught.

I stood up and approached her. "Mom, what's wrong? Tell me what happened."

After a few moments of silence and heavy breathing, my mom adjusted her glasses and said, "Ami and your father will be coming home first class tomorrow."

I smiled widely. "That's great news! I'm glad they're safe!"

But the longer I looked at her face, the more my smile curved down. She didn't look happy at all. There was a bigger issue, and I was right.

"What's the catch?"

I noticed her tense. She looked at me seriously and said, "In exchange for their freedom, the prince of that damn country…he…you have to marry him."

It took me a few moments for my brain to process that.

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**Damn, that was a short chapter, but it's just the beginning!**

**Oh, and for those of you who have read my story, There's Always Hope, trust me, it's not going to be as outrageous and tragic...even though I'm into that sort of stuff...I'll refrain. Promise.**

**I'm also watching the anime again as a refresher! It's so weird...I feel like I've never seen it before because of how long it's been O.o**

**Anyways, before I continue ranting, I hope you'll favorite this story, because I promise there's more chapters coming!**

**さようなら! **


	2. Proposal?

**Hi guys! It's been a whole day! O.O I think I'll be writing this story pretty quickly since I spent three hours in attendance school today and one of the things I did was write the plot for each chapter. AND I FINISHED.**

**Hope you like this story so far ^^**

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_Recap:_

_I noticed her tense. She looked at me seriously and said, "In exchange for their freedom, the prince of that damn country…he…you have to marry him."_

_It took me a few moments for my brain to process that._

* * *

"I…I have to…" the words couldn't even pass my lips. This was news. This was very big news. "There must be some other way!" at this point, I had to sit down again. "And I'm only seventeen!"

"I know, honey. I'll try to find a way. I won't let you marry some stranger from a stupid, unknown country. Tsumugu and Ami were taken in because Ami accidentally hit one of the royal pets as they were touring the palace. It's the stupidest thing I ever heard. They should have locked the animal up, if anything."

"But…but if I don't…" I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "If I don't marry him…then dad and Ami…they won't be free! They could do anything since they were arrested in their land!"

"I don't think Japan will allow that to happen. I have someone trying to fix this whole thing up right now."

"I don't think that would happen, either. I mean, come on, they shouldn't have had their pets roaming around during a tour in the first place!"

"Yes, they are a scary strict country. But since they are not even on the map, and I wonder why, they must be very weak, so I'm sure we'll win."

Even though I heard those relieving words, I still couldn't help but worry. I decided I was going to keep this a secret from Rima when I see her the next morning.

I remembered to set my alarm, so I woke up at my usual time. My mom already went to work and left me a note saying that she couldn't make breakfast. After I got ready, Rima came over and thought I was joking again when I told her that we had to buy some breakfast on the way.

"You can't use the same joke twice in a row, Amu," she said as she took her shoes off. "It just doesn't work that way."

I didn't say anything as I watched her walk into the kitchen. I heard her let out a sad sigh.

We bought sweet bread as we walked towards school. I kept thinking about this foreign prince.

"_Why does it have to be me? Why wasn't it Ami? Why marriage, of all things?"_

"Amu, what's wrong? You're doing your weird thinking face." Rima looked at me worriedly, and I knew she was dying to know what happened last night, but decided to wait for me to bring it up.

"N-Nothing! Just…thinking about Tadase, you know?"

"_Well, it isn't really the truth, but I really should start thinking about this, too."_

"I see…" she was obviously not convinced as she continued looking straight ahead.

There was an unsettling silence between us. I couldn't keep it in anymore, so I clutched my bag strap and let out the words I've been dying to tell my best friend.

"So last night when my mom came home early, she told me that my dad and Ami were arrested because Ami apparently accidentally hit one of the royal pets. They are coming home safe and sound today, but the only way to ensure that they will be free is… is if I marry the prince."

Rima blinked twice, unsure what to say. I could see that she thought I was joking, but at the same time, she believed me.

"Amu…marriage? Over some pampered pet?"

"My mom told me that Japan would not allow that to happen."

"But Amu…you never know…"

Before we reached the school gates Rima asked, "So do you know what he looks like? The prince?"

"…No, actually. I'm wondering that myself."

"If it so happens that Japan can't do anything about it, you can't get married anyways since you're seventeen."

"I don't think that would stop them from waiting a few more months…or what if they take me back to their country? What if girls there get married at sixteen? Rima, I don't know what I'll do! What if he's way older than me, fat, and bald?!"

"So what are we talking about over here?"

Rima and I almost jumped out of our skins. We turned around and were face to face with Kukai. Besides him was Tadase.

"Morning!" he chimed as he flashed his smile my direction. I smiled back.

"We were just…yeah. We were having a random conversation," said Rima, not knowing what else to say.

"Good enough for me!" said Kukai as he grinned. "Oh hey, Nagihiko and Yaya are here!"

I turned around and saw the said two coming our way. Rima ran up to Nagi and embraced him, which in turn caused head to turn their way. Some girls giggled, some stared in jealousy, while some quickly looked away to give them privacy.

I turned around and accidentally locked eyes with Tadase. He was blushing, and I knew I was blushing as well. Kukai's grin became larger when he saw what was going on, but I was the first to break eye contact.

"W-We should probably start heading in. The bell with ring any minute now…"

I quickly made my way inside, put on my indoor shoes as fast as possible, and then rushed to class before one of my friends caught up to me.

Unfortunately…I noticed a lot of people staring at me.

"So, are you two finally going out?" questioned an underclassman with a smug smile. Some people started whispering, and I could make one thing out loud and clear.

"Miss Cool and Spicy and the beautiful prince?"

My face turned red. To avoid further humiliation, I giggled nervously and scurried away like a frightened animal.

"_Great! Just great!"_

I took shelter at my desk in the corner and sighed. There were some kids filing in and murmuring when they saw me. I rested my head on my desk and groaned softly.

"_This is going to be a very long day."_

"Amu?" Nagihiko was next to me.

I sat up and said, "You were right. The whole school knows, dammit. I don't even know my own feelings and they all already think we're dating."

"Can you blame them? You two have been close for a long time, and a lot of people already knew that Tadase likes you."

I looked away. I wondered if Rima told Nagi about what happened last night.

The bell rang and Nagihiko went to his seat near the front. He turned around and gave me a reassuring thumbs up.

The teacher came in; we stood up, bowed, and then sat down. He started going over some English words, and I tried my best to pay attention to what he was saying. I crossed my fingers and hope he wouldn't pick on me because I was really bad at English and I didn't want to embarrass myself anymore. Thankfully, he didn't pick me.

At lunch, I headed down to the cafeteria with Nagihiko. I wasn't going to run away this time. The thought of me running away seemed best since I was still getting stared at, especially when I sat down at the table across from Tadase.

He smiled kindly at me, though I knew he wanted to turn away as much as I did. He was just too nice to do that, which made me happy.

I looked over at Rima, hoping she understood that what I told her earlier was a complete secret, and if she told anyone, then she was dead.

Rima gave me a nod.

I wasn't sure if she meant that nod for me and Tadase or if she meant she understood.

Lunch went pretty well. Yaya started freaking out because Kukai stole her sweets and even ate some, Rima and Nagi were cuddling and laughing, and Tadase and I were talking about normal stuff, and it seemed as though we forgot about his feelings for a moment.

When we stopped talking and just sat there, looking at each other, we finally remembered and looked away.

"S-Sorry…" I heard him mumble.

"I have to use the restroom. I'll see you guys after school, I guess, since lunch should be over pretty soon." I got up and took my tray with me as I left my friends sitting there, watching me walk away. I knew they engaged into a conversation about me after I left, just because they're like that and I don't blame them.

After putting my tray away, I headed upstairs. My phone vibrated in my skirt pocket. My mom sent me a message saying that dad and Ami were finally home, and she got off work early because of it. I smiled in relief, but then frowned when I remembered the deal. That I had to marry the prince.

"_Damn. I'm being set up with this guy and I don't even know his name. This is crazy. Am I really awake?"_

I tripped up the stairs.

"_Defiantly awake. Joy." _

I stepped into a stall in the bathroom and just stood there. I didn't even have to go. I just needed somewhere to hide for a bit, I guess.

"I wish the prince would notice me! I mean, I am in his class."

Two girls entered the bathroom. I kept still as I listened in on their conversation.

"Well…there really isn't much hope now. Tadase and Amu have known each other since fifth grade, and I also heard he's had a crush on her since then that just grew as the years went on. It's really romantic and cute in my opinion."

"I know…you're right," the girl sighed sorrowfully. "I want a boyfriend like that…"

As they were leaving, they carried on to a different subject. I unlocked my stall and opened it slowly. It made a sick creaking noise. I walked up to the mirror and looked at myself.

"_Tadase liked me since fifth grade…that was when I wanted him to be my boyfriend, but eventually…I'm just not thinking the same anymore. How could Tadase like me for so long and not move on to another girl?"_

I left the bathroom and started making my way back into the classroom. I ignored the stares and comments, but I heard something that caught my attention.

"Did you hear? There is a new student that just transferred here this morning! My friend saw him! She told me he was _so_ hot. She also said that he looks foreign, but speaks perfect Japanese"

I turned to look at two underclassmen leaning against the wall by the large windows.

"Foreign?" I wondered out loud. When they noticed me, I blushed and walked away.

"_A new foreign student…as far as I know, we don't have any of those…what if this foreign student is…what if he's…"_

I stopped myself from thinking any further and laughed inwardly.

"_Of course not."_

Nagihiko was already back in the room. He was leaning against one of the front desks and was laughing at something with another classmate. When he saw me, he immediately came over.

"_Oh no! Rima told him, didn't she?!"_

"Take long enough in the bathroom?"

I blinked a couple time. "What?"

Nagihiko laughed. "Hey, I heard that there was a new student who just transferred here today. I also heard he is foreign! This is going to be cool. We don't have any foreign students here."

"Oh, right! I heard that too!" I bit my lip nervously, and Nagi noticed.

"Amu?"

"What?"

"What's up?"

The bell rang. I looked around as students started going to their assigned seats. I looked at Nagi apologetically and took hurried over to my own seat. When I looked back at Nagi, he was already sitting.

We all waited for the teacher to come back into the room. I was expecting Nagihiko to turn around and look at me, but he didn't.

My phone vibrated and I pulled it out. An advantage of being in the back corner is that you can pull your phone out and only risk being seen by one person other than the teacher, but the teacher wouldn't notice that easily if you're very discreet about it.

When I read the message from my mom, I almost broke down in tears. She said that Japan couldn't do anything about our situation, since that country somehow held more power than us.

I looked up and noticed Nagi looking over at me. I quickly looked away and wiped my eyes.

The teacher finally came in, and I quickly stuffed my phone into my pocket. I got up with the rest of the class, bowed, and then sat back down.

"It's your homeroom teacher that should be the one doing this, but she asked me to do this instead." Our math teacher smiled cheerfully as she looked around the room. "I'm sure you've all heard that there has been a new, foreign student that is now attending our school. We asked him if he wanted to start fresh tomorrow so that he could attend homeroom, but he insisted that he should start now."

The sliding door opened. Students started whispering as the male figure entered the room. His body was tall and lean. He also had dark, shaggy hair and deep blue eyes.

"_Wow…"_

"This is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He came from Freeden, a place unknown to many of us," said the teacher seriously, but you could tell she was enchanted by Ikuto's looks. I didn't blame her. I'm sure none of the girls in the room did.

Ikuto's eyes scanned the room, as if he was searching for something. I felt the urge to sink into my chair, so I did so, to the point where I couldn't see past everyone's heads.

I heard him sigh disappointedly. "My name is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

His voice sent shivers up my spine. It was deep, rich, and the way he spoke made him seem proper.

Because of that, I dropped the pencil I was holding in my hand. I silently swore and reached my hand out for it, but it was too far. I extended my leg out and pushed the pencil back towards me. When I sat up straight and looked at Ikuto, his eyes were locked on mine.

A smirk appeared on his face as he advanced towards me with his hands in his pockets. Everyone looked confused as they watched him walk. He seemed calm, like he knew what he was doing, but I couldn't help but notice that the closer he got to me, the harder I blushed.

He finally reached me. What he did next shocked everyone. He knelt down on one knee, took my hand and asked, "Hinamori Amu. Will you marry me?"

* * *

**Yay! I love proposals! **

**Oh jeez...imagine if you were in that class. You'd be all like, "...what the fuck just happened...?" XD**

**Anywho~ please review! I love hearing comments from my readers! And, um, yes! Favorite if you so wish to!**


	3. Family Reunion

**Helllllooo! Thank the maker I wrote myself an outline for each chapter. Thank you for all the reviews so far. They made me happy ^^**

* * *

Recap:

_He finally reached me. What he did next shocked everyone. He knelt down on one knee, took my hand and asked, "Hinamori Amu. Will you marry me?"_

* * *

I felt myself stop breathing. My heart raced as I stared into his gorgeous, dark blue eyes. But…

_Who the_ hell_ is this guy and who does he think he is?!_

"No."

A smirk appeared on his lips once again as he stood up and stuffed his hands back in his pockets. "I had a feeling you might say that. Oh well. Maybe next time."

"Next time?"

Chatter erupted in the classroom as my classmates started discussing what just happened. The teacher was speechless as she stood up at the front with her mouth open slightly. After a few short moments she said, "_Quiet!"_

The entire room stopped talking and looked at her. She looked a little irritated.

"Ikuto," she started after she calmed down a little. "You sit up here in the front. I expect that you behave properly…and not propose in this room again. Understood?"

"Understood," repeated Ikuto. He turned his head and gave me a quick wink before heading to his designated desk.

I looked over at Nagi who was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

The moment school ended, I quickly made my way out of the room as fast as possible. I knew Ikuto might come up to me, and I didn't want that. Not after he humiliated me. After hiding in the bathroom for a good twenty minutes, I left. Nagihiko and Rima were waiting for me by my shoe locker.

"He _proposed _to you?!" cried Rima when I reached the couple.

"I know! It's insane!" I replied. "And I think he is going to do it again!"

"I can't wait to find out what Tadase thinks of this!"

"Rima! You can't tell him!"

"Amu," started Nagihiko with a sigh. "No one in our class would keep something like that a secret. I'm sure the news reached him by now, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in his thoughts on this. But that aside, I need to get going. I'm already late for a Guardian meeting."

Rima and I said goodbye to him and started walking towards the gated after I put my outdoor shoes on. My mother was waiting for me.

"Hi Midori!" exclaimed Rima with a wide smile. She loved my mom.

"Hi Rima. I have to take Amu with me to the airport to pick up Tsugumu and Ami. I can take you home if you would like."

"That's okay. I know you're in a rush so I'll just walk. Thank you though. Tell them I said hi."

I stared at Rima through the side window as we drove off. When she was out of sight, I leaned back against the leather seat and stared at the dashboard, questioning whether or not I should tell my mom that I was proposed to, and by the prince, I'm sure.

_But why is the prince going to school with me now? Wouldn't it be easier for him to kidnap me and take me back to his country? Is he here to humiliate me until I finally give in? What's his plan?!_

I bit my lip.

After about ten minutes, I slowly looked over at my mom who was concentrating on the road.

"Hey, mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Just…how did dad propose to you?"

She quickly looked over at me with a questioning look and turned her head back to the road. "Why suddenly ask this question?"

"Just curious, I guess."

"Well…" she gave herself time to recall the memory. "Probably in one of the worst ways ever. He took me to dinner, had the cook hide it in my cake, and I almost choked on it."

"What?" I started laughing. "That sounds like something dad would do. So what happened after that? Did he have to perform the Heimlich?"

My mom giggled. "No, the ring didn't go down that far. I coughed it up on the table. Your dad was standing right next to me, apologizing, as every guest in the room looked over at us. I was so embarrassed that I was about to walk out."

"But you didn't?"

"No. After I realized what he was trying to do, I said yes."

"Wow. That probably is one of the worst ways to propose. Go dad."

"Does this have something to do with…the prince?"

_Dammit, mom. You always have to know everything._

"No."

"Look, Amu. I'll keep looking for a way to make this right. You won't have to marry him. I won't let it."

"Why didn't they pick Ami? Not saying that they should have, but she was there already."

"Probably because of her age. I doubt they would wait that long."

"And did dad tell them about me or something?"

"He must have. We'll find out more or the details when we see them. We're almost there anyways. But all that aside, how was school?"

"It was…great!"

I felt bad that I had to keep lying to my mom. I felt like I didn't have to, since she'd find out eventually, and by eventually, I mean really soon.

"So what happened that made it so great?"

"I got a hundred percent on my science homework!"

That was actually not a lie.

"And what about English?"

_Shit._

Mom, you know that I'm not good with English. It's too confusing! Why do we have to learn it?"

"Because most people will find it useful down the road."

"Then I won't be most people."

"Oh yes you will be. You will learn English, period."

She then started talking in a foreign tongue, and I could not keep up. I knew she was asking me a question, but I didn't know what she was saying.

"Amu!"

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

"I asked you what your favorite color is."

_Pink_. But the words that came out of my mouth were different. "Blue."

_Dark blue hair…dark blue eyes…_

My eyes widened when I realized who I was just daydreaming of.

"Blue?" Said my mom in Japanese. "I thought it was pink?"

"I-I like them both!"

"Hmm…"

We reached the airport and I almost let out a sigh of relief. I stepped out of the car and shut it. I tucked some hair behind my ear as I waited for my mom to get out as well.

In the airport, I saw many business men and women. My mom was fitting in pretty well with her black pencil skirt.

"Let's sit here and wait. Their plane should be landing in about half an hour."

We took a seat by many other people waiting. There was a kids room next to us where they could play, get balloon animals, and get their face painted. Behind us was the food court.

"I'll be right back, mom. I'm going to get some food. Want any?"

"Pizza," she said as she motioned her head to the pizza stand.

I stood up and went to a stand that sold yakisoba. The line was pretty long, so I brought out my phone and looked to see if I had any messages.

There were quite a few from my friends, asking me about the proposal. I scrolled down my inbox to see if Tadase sent me anything. He didn't, so I started wondering if he even heard.

_But would he have texted me if he heard?_ I started looking at this in Tadase's perspective. If I was him, and I found out that someone that I liked was just proposed to by a hot foreign guy, then yeah, I would be way too embarrassed to say anything.

I looked at Kukai's text.

"So I heard you were proposed to by the new foreign guy? This escalated quickly! But…Tadase is sulking. He doesn't want to admit it, but he is. He wasn't even paying attention at the Guardian meeting."

I suddenly felt guilty.

I scrolled down more as I moved with the line. Everyone asked the same things: "Did he seriously propose to you?" I sighed as I flipped my phone shut. There was no point in responding to any of them.

I bought my yakisoba and went to the pizza line which moved much quicker. The heat from the box of yakisoba I was carrying warmed up my hands.

_His hands were warm…_

The memory of Ikuto taking my hand in his crossed my mind, and I tried my hardest to think of something else. Luckily, I was already at the front of the line. I bought my mom pepperoni pizza and went back to the seat where she was at.

"Here you go," I said as I handed her the huge slice of pizza and a couple napkins.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile as she took her food. "What did you get?"

"Yakisoba."

For whatever reason, I could only find myself a fork. I opened the box and started eating. When I finished, I got up and threw the trash away.

"How much longer?" I asked as I sat back down.

"We're back!" came Ami's voice. I turned my head and saw her walking towards us with dad.

Both me and my mom stood up to go and hug them.

"I'm so glad you two are safe!" said my mom.

"Did you tell Amu?" I heard my dad whisper.

"Yes. She already knows."

"Does she also know that he is now attending her school?"

My mom pulled away, shocked. "This is the first I've heard of this. You can't be serious. How did he get here so fast?"

"They're royalty. They have their own private jet, for crying out loud."

"Did you see him, Amu?" questioned my sister with a smirk.

_Ami has seen him, hasn't she?_

"Y-Yeah…I did. He came in during math."

"And when were you going to bring this up, Amu?" questioned my mom as she brought her hands to her hips. "At least I now understand why you were acting weirdly in the car." She stopped and narrowed her eyes. "So why did you bring up the proposal subject?"

_Ah…I'm so screwed right now. I wish I could just shrivel up into a pile of nothingness._

"B-Because…"

Ami gasped. "He _proposed_, didn't he? You're so lucky!"

"Ami!" scolded both of my parents.

I started playing with my fingers and wished that we would carry this discussion on elsewhere.

"So not only did you not tell me that he transferred into your class, but you also avoided saying that he _proposed?!_ I don't know what to say!" My mom's face started turning red with anger, and my dad had to calm her down.

"Let's just talk about this at home, Midori."

_Thank God!_

After grabbing their luggage, we were silent the whole entire ride, but each time I looked over at Ami, she was wiggling an eyebrow at me. I didn't understand this girl. Did she not see how bad this situation this was?

_Of course not. It's Ami. She thinks Ikuto's hot….well, he is hot, but still. Our freedom was on the line here._

When we finally got home, my mom immediately went into interrogation mode and asked Ami about the whole royal pet thing.

"It wasn't my fault! I didn't see the dog there as I was walking backwards, trying to take a good picture! Then the next thing I knew was that I stepped on the dog's foot, it cried for a good three minutes, and then we were arrested!"

"And it wasn't helping that you were throwing provocative words at their faces," said my dad, though you could tell that he was amused with it.

"Hey, I didn't know that they spoke Japanese."

"Well, they did. And now look at the mess we're in. Amu, was just proposed to for crying out loud," said mom.

"By a hot _prince!_" said Ami. My mom gave her a disapproving look which shut her up.

"Ami, you're fourteen years old."

"So?"

"_So?!_" Mom rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Enough of this. I'm going to make dinner."

When she left to the kitchen, my dad brought out the souvenirs. He got me a shirt and a key chain. Like I'm going to use these. I hate that country.

"I have to show you the pictures before I show them to my boss tomorrow!" exclaimed my dad excitedly. Ami looked excited to see them as well.

Of course, they were all beautiful. Half of them were taken with Ami in it, while the others were just the scenery. The country looked beautiful, and for a moment, I wanted to travel there.

But I won't, because they arrest people who step on dogs on accident.

The next morning, my mom was still home before I left. She told me to avoid Ikuto at all costs, and that it's okay if I use my fists on him.

After she left, dad took Ami to school, since the middle school was a bit farther off, and she likes going there early to watch the boys play basketball in the gym. "Tell Ikuto I said hi," she said with a wink before she exited the door. I groaned in irritation.

Not long later, Rima arrived. When we sat down at the table to eat breakfast, I knew she was going to ask about the proposal.

"Don't even ask," I said before I shoved some pancake into my mouth. "Way too many people are going to start today."

"Don't you want to know about Tadase?"

I could feel the food stick to my throat. After coughing it out I asked, "So what did he say?"

"Nagihiko said that before he left the meeting in a hurry, Tadase said that he'll try harder, and that he has a better chance since Ikuto is a total stranger to you."

"He'll try harder?"

"I'm really liking where this is going. It's very entertaining."

"Rima! This isn't something to be entertained about!"

"It's entertaining. Admit it!"

I stayed silent for a moment. She was right. "So what happens if I marry him and live a miserable life after that?"

"Oh, don't worry. Me, Yaya, Kukai, Nagihiko, and Tadase will be right there, beating the shit out of him."

We laughed.

We walked to school slowly. Since I didn't want many people asking me questions, or being approached by a certain somebody, we tried our best to get there when the bell to start heading in rang.

People stared at me as they walked past me in the halls. They didn't say anything since they knew they had to get to class.

When I entered my class, my eyes immediately locked on with dark blue ones.

_Dammit, Amu! Keep walking! Don't stare!_

I stared at the floor as I shuffled to my seat.

_I really don't want to be here right now._

"Morning, Amu," said Ikuto as I walked past him.

I shuddered.

When the bell for lunch rang, Nagihiko caught up to me as I sped walked down the hall. "Why are you in such a rush?"

"What do you think?"

"Ikuto?"

"And other students! Hurry, before people stop me to ask about what happened yesterday!" I continued speed walking with Nagi on my tail.

We reached the cafeteria, and I was nowhere near in the clear. The moment I stepped foot inside the crowded room, I was entangled with questions I didn't want to answer.

"Guys, come on," said Kukai as he pushed to get to me and Nagi. "Can't you guys just leave her alone?"

"But we're curious!" said one female student.

"I don't care," he responded. Everyone went back to what they were doing.

"Thanks, Kukai," I said. "I'll get my food now."

"You don't need to do that," said a male voice behind me. I turned around, and a man, maybe in his early thirties, was there.

"Who are you?" asked Kukai defensively.

"My name is Edgar Harrold. My boss instructed me to give you your lunch, Mademoiselle."

"My lunch?" I questioned.

I was then led to a table that has never been in the cafeteria before. It was small and round, with a red table cloth covering it. A man wearing a tuxedo pulled the chair out for me, and I had no choice but to sit. My face turned red with embarrassment as everyone in the room looked at me. "What is going on!" I whined.

Another man in a tux came over and set a large, covered tray in front of me. When he removed the cover, there was a large red lobster staring at me.

_Another_ man in a tux came over and started playing the violin.

I was speechless.

Ikuto walked over towards me.

_Of course._

He knelt down in front of me, brought out a box, and opened it. A diamond ring.

"Will you marry me?"

I bit my lip.

"No. Why are you doing this?"

"I'm trying to win your affection."

"She said no, Ikuto. Back off." Tadase pushed through the crowed.

"Oh?" Ikuto smirked and stood up as he snapped the box shut. "And who are you? Her boyfriend?"

"N-No."

"Do you even know who I am?"

"Not really. But you have no right to do what you're doing."

"I do, actually. I also have the right to marry her."

"What do you mean?"

"So you weren't told? If she doesn't marry me, her father and her little sister will go to jail."

"What? _Why?_"

"Why would I tell you?"

Ikuto turned to me. I glared at him with anger. He had no right to say that. That was personal business that shouldn't have been said.

"See you later, Amu."

The crowd of students made way for him as he left.

_Why?!_

* * *

**_Well, her lunch was just ruined. She should just say yes and get it over with, ne? :3_**

**_Oh, I love cute stories! :D_**


	4. Date

**So sorry about that ****wait, my dear readers! I don't have work until Friday, so let's see if I can upload two more chapters until that time!**

**And thank you so much for the faves and reviews. I feel awesome knowing that other people think this story is awesome :D**

* * *

_Recap:_

_"So you weren't told? If she doesn't marry me, her father and her little sister will go to jail."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"Why would I tell you?"_

_Ikuto turned to me. I glared at him with anger. He had no right to say that. That was personal business that shouldn't have been said._

_"See you later, Amu."_

_The crowd of students made way for him as he left._

_Why?!_

* * *

I sat there with my mouth slightly open, and my clenched fists were tightly curled on my lap. I was fuming with anger.

The men in the tuxedos hastily followed after Ikuto. When I looked around the room, everyone was whispering to one another as the stared at me. Some looked jealous, while others, mainly girls, smirked and made me feel like I was going to be a victim of their bullying.

I hate him.

"Amu…" came Tadase as he cautiously walked over to me. He only did that when I looked like I would trash a room.

"I'm fine!" I spat as I quickly got up, causing my chair to tip backwards, and ran. How could I ever show my face in public again? And I was _not _going to go back to class. Nope. Nurse's room I go.

As I glumly walked down the empty hall with my hair draping over my face like a pink curtain as I stared at the floor, I was debating what type of excuse I should use.

"Can I help you?" asked a tall, beautiful middle-aged woman with light brown hair tied into a tight bun. She had stunning, bright blue eyes the seemed as though they were glowing.

"Matsui Sensei…" I started, but I didn't know how to finish. I couldn't lie to this gorgeous, kind woman!

"Amu, what's the matter? You seem down." She led me into the room and shut the door behind her. I've been in the nursing room quite a few times. As I looked around, I nearly sighed in relief when I noticed that there were no other students.

"I…I'm really embarrassed and I don't want to go back to class…I don't want to see his face, or anyone else's, because I'm afraid they're going to all make fun of me."

I turned to her as my tears started forming. I tried my best to hold them back, but my nose was the one to give in first, so I let out a pathetic sniffle.

"Sit down and tell me about it. Don't worry, I won't send you back to class. I'll just say that you had a stomach ache or something."

I smiled genuinely. "Thank you."

I began telling her everything that has happened up until now, and she nodded as I spoke. When I finished, she let out a sigh.

"You seem to have a really big problem on your hands here…I'm not sure I know what to say. This is something that I can't really help you on since it's bigger than the both of us, but I'll try. I'll have a little chat with Ikuto tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Just try not to succumb to his charms like Hirata Sensei did."

"The math teacher? But isn't she married?"

"She was completely _enchanted_," I giggled as I recalled her face. And then I recalled mine, and blushed. The school nurse smirked.

"W-What?" I questioned.

Matsui Sensei shook her head then said, "Nothing. I've got to do some paperwork now, so go ahead an rest. I'm sure you need it after all that's happened."

"Thank you."

I took my shoes off then laid down on the stiff mattress. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I kept coming up with scenarios that I didn't even want to think about.

"_Amu," came his deep voice. I jumped at the sound and turned. _

_He wasn't there._

_I sighed, but I wasn't sure if I was disappointed or not. The moment I turned around, he was there, hovering over me like a tower. The corners of his mouth tugged into a smirk and I froze. Was I shaking because I was scared? Or…_

"_I've been looking for you everywhere…" he whispered so that only I could here as he pulled me close to him. I rested my head against his chest. My senses went overboard as I took a whiff of his cologne, which made him smell very masculine and sexy._

"_We aren't supposed to be together," I whispered with a shaky voice. "I am a princess…and you…"_

"_I'm what? Say it."_

"_You're a vampire."_

"_Yes. I am a vampire. There is no denying that, and I have no way to turn into a human so that I can be with you. But…there is a way that you can be with me…"_

"_You mean..?! But…"_

"_I love you, Amu. I want to be with you, forever. But, if you don't want to…just say the word and I will walk out of your life forev-"_

"_No! I don't want that, Ikuto. I want to be with you and no one else!"_

_Ikuto smiled sweetly as he leaned down and kissed my cheek._

"_Will it hurt?" I asked, trying to sound as brave as I possibly could._

"_I won't lie to you. It will hurt, but I will make it up to you in the years to come."_

"_I…I'm ready. Please…I want this to be over…I want to be with you…"_

"_Say no more," he whispered in my ear. I shuddered as his hot breath was on me. He started kissing my jaw, and led a trail of kisses down towards my neck. It felt sensational. His teeth gently grazed my skin, and I shuddered with excitement. _

_Finally, he bit down._

My eyes snapped open and I immediately slapped my neck where I imagined Ikuto bit me like it was a mosquito bite. After blinking a coupled times as I stared up at the ceiling, I growled.

_I was seriously daydreaming about vampire crap?! He needs to stop messing with my head! This is going way too far!_

I took out my phone to check the time. There was an hour left before school was let out.

_I was thinking about that for that long?_

I turned to my side and curled up in the fetus position. Before I closed my eyes I thought, _I wonder if he is daydreaming about me to?_

"Amu, wake up. It's time to go."

I slowly opened my eyes. I felt more tired than I did before I took my nap, and my throat felt really dry. I turned my head and was face to face with Rima.

"You are a pain in the ass to find, you know? But I had a feeling you would be here. Oh, and Nagi has your bag. The boys and Yaya are right outside, and they are all very worried. Tadase, especially. And jeez! That whole thing that happened during lunch was crazy! Yaya ate your lobster, by the way, and she says she's really sorry."

"Oh…" I really wanted to ask Nagihiko if Ikuto went back to class and what happened if he did, but I didn't want to seem too eager.

"Come on, what are you waiting for!" Said Rima, impatiently. She just wanted to be with Nagi.

"Alright, alright," I sighed as I sat up and slipped my indoor shoes back on.

I said goodbye to the nurse before walking out the door. Yaya hugged me fiercely as she apologized about the lobster.

"Yaya, I'm actually glad you ate it, so don't worry. I'm not mad."

"Yaya is so happy now! Thank goodness!"

Nagi handed me my bag and said, "I need to go after Tadase. He just ran off not so long ago when he saw Ikuto out the window."

"_What_?!" I looked out the window as well. Sure enough, there was a small group of students in a circle, but I could clearly make out Ikuto's dark blue hair. "Dammit, Tadase!" I ran after them. I don't know why, but I felt obligated to.

"Come on, slow poke!" teased Kukai once he caught up to me. "We haven't done any sprinting in a while now, and you're clearly out of shape!"

"_Excuse me?!_" I attempted to jump kick him, but he dodged effortlessly and I fell on the floor. "Kukai!" I whined.

He helped me up with a laugh and we continued on running.

Me and the others reached the group of kids. They were whispering to one another as Tadase was shouting something in the center of the crowed.

"Excuse me!" I said as I struggled to get to the center. It took a while, but I finally reached them.

"Amu!" exclaimed Tadase once he noticed me a moment later. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but what's going on here?"

"Little kiddy-king," said Ikuto, "is jealous."

"I am not! And don't call me that!"

"If you weren't jealous, why would you declare me a love rival? You were the one saying that you would win Amu's affection and sail off into the sunset and live happily ever after."

Tadase blushed. "I didn't word it like that," he mumbled. After a moment, he straightened himself up and looked him square in the eyes. "Leave Hinamori Amu alone! Just because you're some foreign prince, doesn't mean you get to marry Amu when you two don't even know each other!"

"An eye for an eye, right?"

"That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" yelled Rima as she stepped in. Usually, she would be the spectator in the background. But when she was actually in the fight…

"Actually, it isn't."

"You can't exchange freedom for freedom over a stupid pampered pet! This is absurd! And your country isn't even on the map, so I don't understand how Japan is letting this happen…and I don't understand how some airplanes even go there if it's that unknown. It must be a puny country."

Something snapped in Ikuto, and it was noticeable. He walked over to Rima and towered over her.

"The only puny thing here is you."

Everyone stopped talking and stared at him. He seemed like a completely different person, like he was hiding behind a thick mask this whole entire time.

"I'm sorry," he said with a sigh. "I didn't mean to sound…like that. My deepest apologies."

And then he was gone.

"What an asshole," mumbled Rima.

After the other students departed, I told the rest of the group what happened after my dad and Ami left to Freeden. They also found it stupid that Ami and my dad were taken into custody because of a stupid misshape.

"Anyways, I better get going before my mom starts to worry. Are you coming, Rima?" I said as I looked over at her. Her hand was intertwined in Nagi's.

"Actually," she said with a blush, "Nagi and I will be going on a date tonight."

I asked the rest if they would walk home with me, but it turns out that they all had plans. Tadase looked at me regretfully.

"I'll make it up to you next time," he said with a slight blush before taking off.

I glanced over at Kukai who was giving me a crooked smile, cheering me on.

I blushed.

As I walked home I heard my name called.

"Amu!"

It was from a familiar voice, and it sent shudders all throughout my spine. I was taking my usual shortcut, but there was no one to be seen. Cautiously, I turned around, ready to run for my life if I had to.

There was no one there. A gray cat yawned as it crossed the streets.

"That was weird…" I said to myself. I turned around and immediately bumped into someone's chest. I let out a surprised yelp. I looked up slowly.

_Ikuto. Just like in my daydream… Oh God…this can't be seriously happening…I'm not mentally prepared for this!_

"Yo," he said with a smirk.

I glared at him. I glared at him for making my life hell, and for talking to my best friend like he did earlier.

"Woah, no need to think evil thoughts," he said as he held his hands up.

"Why did you follow me?" I snapped as my gripped tightened on my bag.

_I could kick him and then run home. I'm a pretty fast runner. Good plan._

"I just saw you walking home alone, and thought that it's not good for a young woman like yourself to be walking without a companion. Stuff happens."

"Yeah," I said as I glared more. "Stuff."

Ikuto shook his head. His bangs shifted from side to side. He ran his long fingers through his hair and said, "Look, I'll be honest. It would worry me if you walked home alone. What happened to your friends? Don't you usually walk home with one of them?"

"Yeah…but she's going on a date…"

I didn't even realize that we've been walking for a while. I looked over at Ikuto through my peripheral and questioned if I should even trust him knowing where I live.

He stopped suddenly.

"What?" I questioned as I turned around.

He walked up to me and leaned forward. He was so close that our lips were a few short centimeters apart. I froze as my face exploded with heat, and I suddenly felt a little self-conscience.

"You've been staring at me for quite some time now, Strawberry. Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

"S-S-S-Strawberry?"

"You're stuttering. That's cute," he said with his signature smirk. He lifted his hand up and took a strand of my hair in between his fingers and started playing with it. "Your hair reminds me of strawberry bubblegum…"

"Stop!" I cried as I pushed him away. He was crossing the line, and I couldn't take it.

He stumbled back with a surprised look on his face.

"I'm sure you have plenty of girlfriends where you come from, and I'm sure that there are plenty of girls dying to be with you here," I said as I clenched my fists. "But you're not going to get anywhere with me!" I turned around and squeezed my eyes shut in frustration. "I'll be fine from here! Thanks for walking me this far!" I opened my eyes and ran.

When I got home, my family was sitting around the table, waiting for me.

"What's wrong, Amu? You look a little out of breath," said my mom.

"I decided that I needed some more exercise."

"You've finally came to your senses and realized this!" exclaimed Ami. I scowled in her direction.

I sat down by my dad and asked, "what's up? Why are we gathered here? Does it have to do with-"

"It does, actually," said my mom as she adjusted her glasses with her pointer finger. She let out a sigh that almost made me cry. "Japan can't do anything about the problem. Apparently, the two countries are closely linked, and Freeden is the higher power here. They made a treaty long ago, too, and only select airplanes and boats can travel there."

I felt like I was about to faint.

"Amu…" said my dad as he took my hand in an attempt to comfort me.

I wordlessly stood up and went to my room. I needed to sleep this day off.

The next day, Ikuto wasn't at school, which was a bit of a relief.

_What if he went back to his country? Does it mean that me, Ami, and my dad are free now? Can we just forget about this whole thing and move on with our lives? I'll even forget that place even exists. What was it called again? See, I'm already one step ahead!_

People did indeed question me and what happened between me and Ikuto, and I gave them the truth, but not the whole truth. During lunch, to avoid more questions, I sat by the track field with the rest of my friends.

After school, I got asked something that made my head spin.

Tadase waited for me by my shoe locker. He looked as though he was debating something, and he jumped when I tapped his shoulder.

"A-Amu! I didn't see you there!"

I slipped my outdoor shoes on and smiled at Tadase. "Is there something you need?"

He blushed, and I couldn't control my body temperature either.

"I…I want to go out on a date with you today!"

That's when I realized that it was just us two. I had a feeling they were all in on this and left to give him this opportunity, but I'm sure they didn't really leave and that they're lurking in the shadows around here somewhere.

"I…um…"

_What do I say?! I still don't know how I feel! But…I guess it doesn't hurt to just give it a shot…_

"Y-Yeah. I will go on a date with you."

Tadase let out a sigh of relief, as if he was so sure I was going to reject him.

"So," I started as I started playing with my hair. "What's your plan?"

"Movie?"

"O-Okay…"

_Tadase and I in a dark room…alone…maybe in the corner…_

My face heated up again. Before I realized it, he boldly took my hand in his and started walking. I smiled unwillingly.

Throughout the movie, I was stuffing my face in popcorn, feeling self-conscience, and then stuffing my face in more popcorn. Tadase laughed at my antics, and even fed me a little. It was really awkward for the both of us, but we were expecting this. We didn't do anything bolder since holding hands, and he didn't even make another advance after that, but in the end, I was happy. To me, the date went well.

"So um…this is it," he said as we stopped at the gates to my house. I just knew Ami and my dad were watching us from the windows with different expressions on their faces.

"Well…goodnight, Tadase," I said as I tuck some hair behind my ear.

We stared at each other with an awkward smile before I turned around to open the gates. Tadase suddenly grabbed my arm, making me jump a bit. I noticed my dad stick his face on the window and glared.

When I turned around, Tadase asked, "You…you had a good time?"

"Yeah…"

"I did too…I'm really hoping we can do this again sometime. It was fun…and…" After a few moments of waiting for him to finish his sentence, he dropped his hand and smiled. "Goodnight, Amu."

* * *

Tadase sat in his class the next day, with his arms crossed and head down on his desk. He didn't know whether to smile like an idiot or cry like a baby. It was too confusing. And what was he to do with Ikuto?

"Yo! What's up, Tadase? How was…" Kukai wiggled his eyebrow once Tadase sat up and looked at his friend.

The young blonde grinned, which made Kukai grin.

The bell rang and everyone took their seats.

"Alright, class!" announced the teacher, Ono Sensei. "We have a new student!"

The clicking of her heels echoed throughout the silent room. The way she pushed her long, blonde hair out of the way made the boys melt.

"Hello," she said with a deep, rich voice. "My name is Ueda Utau. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

**DUNDUN_DUUUUNNN_**

**Readers: Utau? What sort of things are going to happen now that Utau is in the story?!**

**Bl00dyshad0w: Horrible, horrible things! *Thinks of mass murders, suicide, and blood. Lots of blood***

**Amu: _Nooo! _This is supposed to be a happy story! Not a tragic story like There's Always Hope where you frickin' killed people, you heartless monster!**

**Bl00dyshd0w: But...I like tragic stories...and blood...and death...**

**Amu: *Sighs* Don't worry readers, I won't let her write about that kind of stuff in this story! Please review and favorite if you so wish to!**


	5. My Dream Shopping Spree!

**I'm keeping up with my promise! So far so good, right?**

* * *

_Recap:_

_"Alright, class!" announced the teacher, Ono Sensei. "We have a new student!"_

_The clicking of her heels echoed through the silent room. The way she pushed her long, blonde hair out of the way made the boys melt._

_"Hello," she said with a deep, rich voice. "My name is Ueda Utau. Pleased to meet you."_

* * *

I walked into class, and sure enough, Ikuto was there. He was talking to a group of girls, attracting them with his prince-like manner, as the boys stood in their own group and glared daggers into his soul. I looked for Nagi, but he wasn't there.

I hurried over to my desk before Ikuto could get a chance to notice me, if he hasn't already. I stopped halfway there when I noticed a large bouquet of roses lying perfectly on top of my desk. From where I was standing, I could clearly make out twelve red roses and one white one right in the center of it all.

"She doesn't deserve them," I heard a girl in my class say.

"You're right," said another girl. "He's too good for her."

"Guys," said Ikuto's voice in a warning tone.

There was also a note. I walked over to it and read it. It was Ikuto saying that he was sorry for the things that happened the other day promised not to create such scenes again. He also added that she had a little chat with the school nurse.

_She so fell for him._

My mouth curled into a deep frown. I turned towards Ikuto with the note in hand, and while glaring at him, I ripped it in two. I took the bouquet with me outside the room and tossed it, along with the shredded paper, out the window.

"Rude, much?" said the same girl that said I didn't deserve them in the first place.

When I looked back at Ikuto, he was looking away with a frown on his face. He was not happy with me, and I could live with that.

Because I don't give a damn. Prince or not, he's a douche.

Nagihiko came out of nowhere and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

Throughout my first class to lunch, my classmates could not stop whispering about what happened and how I'm heartless.

* * *

The bell for lunch rang. Tadase got out of his seat and looked back at Kukai who was getting his stuff together.

"Wow!" exclaimed a girl. "Utau…you look like a model!"

Tadase looked over at her direction. Utau was pretty, but what was she doing here at this school? Tadase couldn't help but think that she was somehow linked with Ikuto.

"Of course I do," she said.

"Well someone has a big head," murmured Kukai as he approached his friend. "Don't you think there is something suspicious about her?"

"Of course I do," replied Tadase as he crossed his arms. "We're going to find out. Miyuki?"

The young girl who was talking to Utau turned around, surprised that the prince of the school called her name. "Y-Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but I need to talk with Utau in private. Is that alright?"

"Of course!" she quickly bowed his direction and ran out.

Once everyone was gone, Utau narrowed her eyes and asked, "What do you want?"

"Ueda Utau?"

"_What?_"

"Why are you here?"

"Is there something wrong with me attending this school?"

"Well," started Kukai, "when you come right after some other foreign guy arrives, then yeah. Does the name Tsukiyomi Ikuto ring a bell?"

Utau flinched a bit. "Where is he?"

"So you do know him?"

"Answer my question."

"Answer mine first," said Tadase, who was obviously starting to get irritated.

Utau pouted. They glared at each other for a few more moments until she finally gave up and said, "Okay fine. But after I tell you, you tell me where Ikuto is. Got it?"

"You have my word."

"My real name is Tsukiyomi Utau."

* * *

During lunch, my friends and I sat by the track again. But…

"Why are Tadase and Kukai late? This is a first…I wonder what happened," I said as I took a bite of my rice ball.

"I see Ikuto though," said Rima with a deep growl. "And…a girl?"

At the same time, the four of us, me, Rima, Nagi, and Yaya, tilted our heads to the side. They were quite far, but close enough to see.

"Yaya's never seen that girl before. Is she also foreign?"

I watched as the girl wrapped her arms around Ikuto. He didn't do anything.

"Figures," I said as I closed my eyes and bite down on my rice ball again.

"Sorry we're late," came Kukai's voice. I turned my head and saw him and Tadase jogging over towards us.

"Where have you guys been?" questioned Rima as she picked up her small box of milk.

"We were having a talk with the new student," said Tadase.

"You mean her?" I replied as I motioned over to the girl who was still hugging Ikuto.

"I didn't think she would find him that quickly. She seemed really eager to see him," said Kukai as he placed his hands on his waist as he looked at the two. "She's getting pretty friendly with him, isn't she?"

The girl tried to kiss Ikuto, but he pulled away quickly and said something.

"That is just disgusting," scowled Tadase.

"Why?" questioned Nagi.

"That girl is his sister, Tsukiyomi Utau."

Rima spat out the milk she was starting to swallow while I choked on my rice ball.

The rest of the day went by pretty quickly. We had a test in history that I was well prepared for because I actually studied for it. I felt confident that I got a good score.

I made sure that I was walking home with Rima because I didn't want a repeat of what happened last time. Rima kept going on about how much she wanted to kick Ikuto in the nuts, and how we should blackmail him since we now know about him and his sister.

"First of all," I started, "that's wrong. Second of all, he pulled away. It was Utau that wanted to kiss him."

"He probably didn't want to do it in public or something. Next time I see this happen, I am so getting my camera out, whether you like it or not."

"Rima…"

"Don't you hate him? Don't you hate what he's doing to you? Or….you actually like it." An evil smirk tugged on her lips, and I quickly turned my head so that she wouldn't see me blush, but I'm pretty sure she knew.

"I-I-I don't!"

"Why are you so nervous, Amu? Have you been enchanted by his Highness?"

"Shut up, Rima."

Rima giggled. "Alright, alright. We don't have school tomorrow, so let's go shopping, okay? We need to get you some cute clothes for your next date with Tadase. Or Ikuto. You never know."

"Rima!" I whined as I playfully punched her arm.

"I want to go shopping, too!" exclaimed Ami once I told her where I was going the next day.

"Sorry, but it's just going to be Rima and I today."

"That boy from before isn't going with you, is he?" asked my dad with the kitchen knife in his hand. He was cutting some pork and decided to be a little scarier today.

"N-No! Dad, put the knife back in the kitchen! Jeez…" I sighed. If mom was home, she would have slapped him in the back of the head for me.

I was wearing a short black dress, fishnet stocking with flowers designed on them, black boots, and a black cap.

"Do all of us a favor and add some color to your wardrobe," started Ami as she looked at my outfit in disdain. "I mean…it's cute and all, but we see you in black all the time! Your school uniform is black, for crying out loud!"

"I think Amu looks fine," said my dad. "All that black will drive the boys away."

"Okay, I'm so done with this conversation. Goodbye." I quickly hurried out of the house and slammed the door behind me. I leaned against the gate as I waited for Rima to arrive.

"Wow, Amu. Not much of a difference from your everyday appearance."

I looked up. Rima was wearing a blue and white striped tank top, dark blue skinny jeans, and black shoes. Her hair was tied into a high pony tail, and she decorated her wrists with bracelets.

I wanted to go back inside and change to something more colorful, but Rima insisted that we hurry up, and that I look fine.

"People will live with it," she said.

_That doesn't make me feel any better!_

At the mall, I quickly went over to a store that sold bright clothing. I had a whole bunch of money in my pocket from my summer job and from allowance. I was going to buy a lot of crap today.

I'm sure we spent a good four hours, running from store to store, examining their products, trying things on, etc.

We passed by a jewelry store. I told Rima that we should check it out, but she sat on the wooden bench and told me that she would wait. I left my bags with her.

I tried looking for something that would be more of my style, but it was pretty hard to find. Finally, I saw, in the corner of the room, my haven.

There was a pair of pink dangling earrings with skulls on the bottom of it. When I looked at the price, my mouth dropped.

_I can't afford this…but I want it…why do diamonds have to be so expensive?! _

"Amu…"

I looked up. Standing above me was Ikuto. I turned around and quickly looked at his attire. He was wearing a shirt with the logo of a punk rock band, ripped up black skinny jeans, and black converse.

_He's a prince…shouldn't he be dressing more…pincey?_

"Hi…" he said awkwardly. I must have been the cause for this after ripping up that note and tossing those flowers. I felt regretful, and my chest started to tighten up because of it.

"Sorry about…the flowers. It was sweet, but…I was still pretty ticked off."

He looked at me and said, "Don't apologize. It was my fault from the beginning. I pushed you too hard, and I'm sorry. But this doesn't mean that I'm going to give up on you, in case you were wondering."

My face heated up. "I-I wasn't!"

He smiled. _Smiled_. You could just _hear_ the angels singing as a bright light started glowing around Ikuto's gorgeous features!

I froze and blinked a few times. Before I knew it, I smiled myself.

Ikuto stared at me for a short moment before quickly turning away. He turned back around, and I noticed that his face was a bit red.

"I want to buy that for you," said Ikuto as he looked at the earring that was still in my hand.

I finally got back to my senses. "And if I say no?"

"I'm still going to buy it for you. And anything else in the store that you want. Hell, I'll even buy Rima something as an apology for what I said to her before."

"I'm up for that!" exclaimed Rima.

Both Ikuto and I looked in her direction. She was carrying all the bags, some were even around her neck, and she was heaving. "I saw him come in, but I couldn't just leave all the bags."

Ikuto helped Rima and took as much as he could carry in both hands, leaving Rima with only a few.

"But Rima…" I said with a pleading look.

"Come one, Amu. Yes, he has pissed us off like no other, but when someone offers to buy us anything from the mall with no catch, you take it." She paused for a moment before turning to Ikuto. "There is no catch…right?"

He looked over at me and then quickly looked back at Rima. "None."

…_Is Rima smirking over there? _

After buying my earrings, Ikuto called a couple of his servants to take the bags and put it in the car. They came quickly, took our bags, and left.

"Must be nice to have people to obey your every order," said Rima. I knew she was imagining herself as a sadist and doing things to her servants.

"Well," started Ikuto, "they're people too. I've become close friends with all of them."

We bought more clothes and perfume, and I felt bad that Ikuto was buying all of this expensive stuff for us.

After catching my eye he said, "Amu, I know you're feeling guilty about this. I see you pouting, but I'm a _prince._ It's okay, because what I'm spending right now is pretty much just pocket change."

After that shopping spree, we sat down on the bench, exhausted. But, as quickly as we sat down, Rima stood up.

"I'll go buy us some drinks!" She winked before taking off.

I felt myself blushing.

"So…" started Ikuto as he stretched and rested one arm around the bench, right behind my head. "What's your relationship between you and Tadase."

I gulped.

_Of course he's bringing this up now that we're alone. I bet Rima is walking as slow as she possibly can right now, just to give us more time. Dammit. I won't last!_

"I…I don't know…he likes me and all…and we went on a date just recently…"

"Hmm? I see…but you don't know if you actually like him back."

"You aren't mad?"

"Mad?" He stared at me, surprised. Then he suddenly started laughing.

_He looks really handsome when he smiles like that…but why is he laughing at me?!_

"Amu," he said once he calmed down. "You think I'm mad because you went on a date with kiddy-king? I'll admit, I'm a bit jealous, but seriously? It's not like we're mar-"

He quickly stopped himself and frowned.

_Did he touch his own nerve? …I couldn't help but feel a little ticked at him myself. I knew how that sentence was going to end._

"Sorry," he said as he adjusted his posture.

Rima came back with the drinks, and she looked mad when she saw that the atmosphere around Ikuto and I looked pretty awkward.

Ikuto had his chauffeur take us back home in a shiny black limo. It was my first time in a limo, and I was super excited. Rima and I kept talking about it while the blue haired man stared out the window.

_Why does he seem so gloomy all of a sudden…_

We dropped Rima off first, and the chauffeur got out of the car and assisted Rima with the bags. When it was my turn, Ikuto ordered the driver to stay in the car, and that he would help me himself.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I questioned. If my dad saw him, he would go ape.

"There are no cars in the driveway."

I looked myself, and sure enough, there was none. But that doesn't mean that Ami wouldn't be home. At least she wouldn't kill him; fan girl, yes, but she won't kill.

"Why do you want to help me yourself?" I asked, but Ikuto just got out of the car and didn't respond.

_I guess he didn't hear me?_

"This is a nice home you have here," he said as he looked around. "Where do you want me to put this stuff?"

I was about to tell him that I'll show him to my room, but I quickly stopped myself. I was also waiting for Ami to come out of nowhere, but she didn't show. Unfortunately, Ikuto knew what I was about to say and smirked.

"Do you think that I'm going to do something bad, Amu?"

"N-Not at all!"

"Then it's fine. I promise I won't do something like that to you."

I gave up and showed him to my room. I crossed my fingers and prayed that I remembered to pick up my dirty laundry before I left, because I couldn't remember for the life of me.

I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that everything was in its place.

Ikuto set the bags on the floor and went back to the car to get the rest. I sat on my bed, exhausted. It was a long, interesting day.

Ikuto came back and set the final bags down. I stood up and said, "thank you so much for buying things for me and Rima. We really appreciate it."

"My pleasure. I'll see you at school tomorrow."

When my family came home later that evening, they were baffled. I told them what happened, and they all had different reactions. My mom had a look of annoyance, my dad looked like he was going to burst with anger, and Ami looked jealous.

I felt…happy.

The next day went by quickly. I wasn't being tormented as much because of what happened with the roses, and I was starting to make normal conversations with Ikuto in public.

When Tadase saw us talking, his eyes widened and then immediately narrowed towards Ikuto.

I was about to go over to him to calm him down, but Ikuto grabbed my wrist and started running.

"Wh-Whaa!" I cried out of shock. He was a fast runner, and I tried my best not to stumble. "Where are you taking me?" I yelled, but I felt myself smiling for some reason.

"Away from kiddy-king," he replied. He took me to the back of the school.

I leaned against the wall and panted as Ikuto stood there, watching me, as if he didn't run at all. "What is it?" I questioned when I calmed down a bit.

"I think you already know," he said in a serious tone. He got down in front of me and pulled out the same ring from before. "Will you marry me?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. When I opened them again I said, "I'm sorry, Ikuto, but I won't be marrying you."

He smiled.

…_Why is he smiling? Didn't I just reject him for the third time?_

"You were much calmer when you said that now than you did before," he said as he got up and snapped the box shut.

"Wh-What is that supposed to mean?"

Without responding, Ikuto stuffed the box back in his coat pocket and walked away. I continued leaning against the wall.

I was questioning why my heart was beating so fast since I calmed down from the running long ago.

* * *

**Oh jeez I love writing this story :3 - (I really do make that face when writing cute moments)**

**Review? Fave? Yeah?**

**Amu: Don't pressure them! Let them do what they want!**

**Bl00dyshad0w: You know...I could easily convert this story into a tragic one... *gets ready to type***

**Amu: Oh no you don't!**


	6. Tadase's Confession

**Hello again! New chapter, UNLOCK**

**O.O Oh my God I'm going to use that from now on. (Please forgive me, for I am a nerd)**

**Again, thank you reviewers, for keeping me happy \( . )/**

**Amu: Run...run for your lives...**

* * *

_Recap:_

_I was questioning why my heart was beating so fast since I calmed down from the running long ago._

* * *

The next day at school during lunch, Tadase pulled me away from the cafeteria before I could enter. "Tadase?" I questioned as he dragged me into an abandoned room. He took a seat on top of a desk.

"I want to know," he started with a sigh, "what Ikuto did to you yesterday."

"W-What Ikuto did?"

"He dragged you away when you were about to walk up to me. Did he propose to you again?"

I didn't say anything. I looked down at the floor as I played with my fingernails.

_Why is he interrogating me?_

"Oh course he did," I said after a long moment. I could feel Tadase's eyes burning holes through me, so I looked up. His sad expression made me feel sad as well.

"What?" I asked softly.

"What was your response?"

"What do you think? Of course I said no." I bit my lip and looked back down.

"I see…"

After an awkward pause I asked, "was that all you wanted to ask me? If so, we should get going. I'm sure the other are wor-"

"Amu!"

I jumped and looked over at Tadase with a startled expression. I noticed his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edges of the desk. He didn't look like his normal self.

"That wasn't all I wanted to ask," he continued. He got up and walked over to me. "I've had a crush on you since the fifth grade. You are just the type of girl who would drive any man nuts. Recently, I've come to a conclusion where…I feel like I like you more than a crush, and that date we had confirmed it."

I stood frozen.

"Amu…I guess…I'm saying that I love you, and if you and I went out…and became boyfriend and girlfriend…then I would be very happy…" His cheeks flushed red as he looked away for a moment, but looked back into my eyes a moment later.

"I don't need a response now," he continued, "so I'll be waiting."

He walked out of the room, leaving me behind.

…_Tadase just confessed to me….but…I didn't say anything. I don't…feel anything…not like I did before…_

I started scratching my head in frustration. This was very complicated. Tadase usually made butterflies flutter in my stomach and all that great stuff, but why, after confessing to me, did that not happen? Why didn't my face heat up as much as it should have?

I stayed in that room the entire lunch period. I sat by the blackboard and picked up a broken piece of white chalk and started drawing to get my mind off things. I was terrible at drawing, but I needed to do something.

I started out with drawing food, like cakes, ice cream, and sushi. Then I started drawing my friends, though I purposely skipped over Tadase.

When I took a step back, I sighed. My art really did look terrible.

"Where have you been?" asked Nagi once I returned to class, ten minutes before the bell was going to ring.

"…you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Oh…um…I just wanted to be by myself for a little bit, so I found this empty room and started drawing on the blackboard."

Nagihiko started laughing. "But Amu, you're terrible at drawing."

"Shut up!"

"Amu," came Ikuto's voice. I turned around and blushed.

_So why am I blushing _now?!

"H-Hi…"

"I didn't see you during lunch. Are you okay? Want me to get you anything to drink?"

"No, that's fine. Thank you."

"I insist, though."

"I'm fine, Ikuto. I promise." I smiled at him, and he quickly turned away.

"Okay," he said as he left.

"That was…very nice of him," said Nagi with a hint of surprise in his voice.

"He's actually a pretty nice guy," I told him. Then I proceeded in telling him about the shopping spree I had with Rima and how Ikuto bought us practically the whole store.

"Rima did tell me that you met up with him there and that he bought you stuff, but I didn't know he bought you _that_ much."

"He even gave us a ride in his limo!"

"Geez…wealthy people have it all, don't they?"

We went to our seat and sat down. The math teacher called Ikuto up to the board to finish an equation. He did the complicated math like it was no problem and then sat back down without a word, leaving people baffled.

"You must have had a good education in Freeden," commented the teacher.

"Yes. I had a private tutor."

_Good for you…stop showing off._

After school, Ikuto was one of the first to leave. I walked downstairs with Nagihiko, and I blurted out what happened during lunch.

"Tadase confessed to me! Nagi, what am I going to do!"

He looked around to make sure no one heard us and then said, "Woah, calm down, Amu. He _confessed?_ At lease now I understand his unusual behavior. He kept sighing."

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you guys first!"

"I guess he's too embarrassed…..but what did you tell him?"

"I didn't say anything. I just stood there like a complete idiot. He told me that he will wait for my answer…but Nagi…my heart didn't race, I didn't blush, and there were no butterflies in my stomach! Does this mean that I really don't like Tadase? But I thought I did! And…and…I can't just reject him like that! I mean, I don't want to reject him, but at the same time I do…" I kicked the wall. "This is so frustrating!"

"…Amu…you really don't feel the same about Tadase?"

"I guess not…"

"Then…how do you feel about Ikuto?"

We reached the final step on the staircase and I stopped. "How do I feel about…Ikuto?"

"You two have gotten pretty close lately."

I laughed nervously. "Are you saying that you think I may, by chance, like Ikuto?"

"Yes."

I tried convincing myself that I hated him for being the prince of a stupid country, and that I hated him because I had to marry him by force.

But I didn't hate him at all.

"What's up, Amu? Why didn't you show up during lunch? Does it have anything to do with the way Tadase was acting?" Asked Rima once we approached her and Yaya by the shoe lockers.

"Rima…" warned Nagihiko as he walked over to her side.

"Yaya tried looking for you," said Yaya as she stuffed her face with a sandwich. "True story."

"Is there something you want to tell me?" questioned Rima as she placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, making me cower a bit.

"L-Later. I'll tell you later."

"Well, if you really feel that way, you're going to tell me first thing tomorrow when I come over to your house. I have a doctor's appointment, and I need Kuma walked. Do you mind if you walk him for me?"

"That's fine. You know I love Kuma."

"Thanks!"

Rima's mom picked her up, and Yaya hopped on her bike and rode home, which was the opposite direction from mine.

"Nagi…I really don't want to walk home by myself, and I know you take the train, but…please?" I pouted.

Nagihiko looked at me sadly and said, "I'm really sorry, Amu. I'll find someone to take you home, okay? I don't want you walking home alone either."

We found Kukai and Utau arguing by the gates.

"You can _so_ not eat that much in just one minute! You're way too skinny!" yelled Kukai as he glared at the blonde woman.

"I bet I can eat faster than you can, twerp!"

"I'm just as old as you! You can't call me a twerp, uh…twig!"

I rolled my eyes. This was a very sad argument, and Kukai was painfully losing. I stepped in. "Kukai, will you please walk me home? No one else can."

"Amu, I'm the middle of an argument," he whispered to me while trying to keep his cool.

"I can hear you," said Utau as she crossed her arms. "And you might as well go. You're getting nowhere in the so-called argument."

"There is a ramen shop near Amu's," started Nagi with a smile. "You two can head there and have your eating competition while walking Amu home at the same time."

"Sound good to me!" exclaimed the over-enthusiastic Kukai as he cracked his knuckles.

"Bring it on!" exclaimed Utau.

"Oh boy…" I sighed as I rolled my eyes.

_Looks like Kukai's found his perfect match._

The thought back to the moment where I saw Utau trying to kiss Ikuto. Was this all a misunderstanding? Or…

We said goodbye to Nagi and went on our way. The two lovebirds trailing behind me were glaring and bickering the whole entire way. Finally, we reached the ramen shop.

"You're going to stay and watch us, right, Amu?" questioned Utau. "I can assure you that tomorrow, Kukai will be telling everyone that he won, even though he didn't, just because he got beat by a girl. I need a spectator."

"I'm right here, you know!" whined Kukai.

"Oh, I know."

"Sorry," I apologized, "but I promised Rima that I would walk her dog for her. I don't want to lose track of time. Just have someone video tape it."

"I guess it can't be helped," sighed Utau. She turned towards the store then said, "Kukai, be prepared to lose. I won't back down."

"Just because you're a girl," he started, "doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you!"

They ran into the store.

I made my way over to Rima's house. There was no one in, so I snuck through a secret opened window covered by large bushes.

"Kuma!" I called. I whistled and clapped my hands awkwardly as I walked into the main room with my shoes in my hands.

The sound of nails sliding around the hardwood floor started getting louder. Kuma, a year old black and tan Shiba Inu, came into view. The dog jumped on me and wagged its curly tail.

"I haven't seen you in a while, boy! Miss me?"

I secured his leash on his collar and carried him out the secret window.

"Want to go to the park?" I asked Kuma, but he was too busy examining a bug in the grass.

The park wasn't that far away. It takes me about several minutes to get to there from my house.

I walked over to the ice cream stand the stood next to that fountain in the center of the park, and started going over the three flavors that they had.

_Chocolate…or maybe I want vanilla? Oh, what about strawb…..no. Not that._

I got myself chocolate and continued walking through the park. I made sure I texted my parents where I was since I completely forgot about that earlier. Thankfully, they were fine with it. I didn't realize I finished my ice cream after a while, which blew my mind.

There were barely any people in the park, which was nice. I don't like it when the park gets too crowded. As I was walking past one of the wooden benches, I had to do a double take. The bench wasn't facing me, but I knew whose head that blue hair belonged to.

_To approach, or not to approach….that is the question._

My legs started moving on its own, and I found myself going towards him. Kuma was being cautious at first and walked next to me.

"H-Hey," I said once I stopped by the bench.

Ikuto had his eyes closed, but when I spoke, he opened them in surprise. "Amu? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Same," I replied as I took a seat at the edge of the bench.

"Cute dog," he commented as he let Kuma sniff his hand. The Shiba warmed up to him quickly and let Ikuto pet him.

"Thanks, but he's Rima's. His name is Kuma."

"Bear, huh? Suites him well."

"What are you doing here, Ikuto?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking?" He scooted closer to me.

"Y-You're a prince and all, with lots of money. You don't need to sit on a uncomfortable bench at a public park to relax."

"But maybe I want to sit on an uncomfortable bench in a public park to relax. You know…being royal and rich doesn't mean I have to be someone like my sister. Hell, even she gets tired of the luxury life sometimes. I know you met her."

"Yeah…she's having a ramen eating competition right now with Kukai."

"Huh. She's pretty competitive, isn't she?"

"Yeah…"

Kuma laid down on the grass and closed his eyes.

"What's the matter, Amu? You look like you have something you want to say."

"It's just that…" I bit my lip. "I saw you and Utau…she tried to kiss you…"

This made him pause.

_Oh God…what if they have _that_ kind of relationship?!_

"It's true that Utau sees me more than just a brother, but she was neglected as a child and turned to me for comfort. I guess that after all that, she came up with these false feelings. I don't feel the same towards her, though. That's just wrong."

I suddenly felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

"Why was she neglected?"

"Our parents were always busy and took me to many of their meetings since I am to be the future ruler. They left Utau with a nanny. It's not that they didn't love her or anything….it's just that she wasn't the first born…or a male. The dog that your sister accidentally stepped on was Utau's, by the way. And if you're wondering, I also think that it was stupid for your dad and sister to be taken in. I mean, kids there get arrested for stealing a pack of gum."

"Why is it so strict there?"

"My dad claims that it's what's keeping us very disciplined and all that fun stuff. I secretly decided that when I take over the throne, I would change things up and have things actually make sense."

"…How did you know about me? Why wasn't Ami the one chosen to…to you know. Marry you. She's a lot more cuter than I am."

_Ikuto just…blushed?_

"Amu, I think you're beautiful."

_Okay. I'm blushing._

"I'm not saying that just to flatter you. That's the truth. My parents decided that I should get married here soon, and the considered Ami, but after finding out how old she was, they asked your dad if she had a sister. Your dad excitedly pulled out a photo of you posing at a beach and told us that you were seventeen."

"…Why does my dad still have that picture…"

"It's a cute picture."

"Shut up." I turned away and pouted.

There was a calming silence between us. We sat there, listening to the sounds of the trees as they swayed in the wind, and the sound of chirping birds.

"You know," started Ikuto, breaking the silence, "I never wanted to go through with the marriage in the first place."

I looked at him. He was starting at me intently, and I could seem to tear my gaze away from his dark, mysterious blue eyes.

"I thought that it would be wrong to marry a random girl in Japan over a dog. And it is, but I had no say in it. I always have to do what my parents tell me to do and I don't have a say in anything. The same goes for Utau. My guess to why she's here is that she just convinced our parents to let her visit me."

My words came out before I stopped to think about it. "And…do you still feel the same? About the marriage, I mean." I mentally slapped myself.

There was another moment of silence. Ikuto smirked and asked, "why? Do you actually want to get married?"

"Wh-Why do you have to tease me so suddenly? You completely ruined the mood!"

"Then we can create a new mood. Preferably a romantic one."

He came in close. I turned my head as he leaned his face in close to mine. Out of nowhere, he blew air into my ear.

I yelped, which caused Kuma to jump to his feet. He tilted his head as he looked over at us. I jumped to my feet as well and covered my ear.

"I-I-I'll be leaving now!" I stammered as my face heated up.

Before I walked away Ikuto asked, "Amu, let's do this again sometime. It was…nice…I've never talked to someone like this before."

I smiled and left without saying a word.

* * *

**For those of you who didn't know already, Kuma=bear**

**I actually do have a black and tan Shiba Inu named Kuma myself...**

**Amu: ...I liked the ending.**

**Bl00dyshad0w: I'm sure you did, Amu. I'm sure you did. **

**Please tell me what you think! **

**さようなら! **


	7. Coma

**So...I can't tell you when will be the next time that I'll publish chapter eight because of work and I don't know my schedule after tomorrow...but I'm sure I'll start it next week! Maybe! : Anyways...story time!**

* * *

_Recap:_

_Before I walked away Ikuto asked, "Amu, let's do this again sometime. It was…nice…I've never talked to someone like this before."_

_I smiled and left without saying a word._

* * *

Two months started to fly by. Ikuto and I have become close. Daily, we would go to the park, sit at our bench, and just talk. He would try to hit on me and tease me and such, but I can't say that I hated it.

I went to school the next morning with Rima while bringing my bike along. After telling her about Tadase's confession, she was surprised.

Now that Ikuto is in the picture a lot, my friends have been reluctant to push Tadase and I together. He decided to take matters into his own hands and push us together himself. He would try to take me out on a date regularly, though most of the time I refused, and he tried to kiss me once.

"So how are you and Tadase?" questioned Rima.

"I don't know what to tell him, Rima. I'd feel bad if I told him I didn't feel the same way."

"I'll tell him for you. I mean, it is obvious, though, but Tadase is too blind to see it right now. You and Ikuto seem to be doing well, though."

"Y-Yeah, we are…"

"So are you going to take back all the things you said about him before?"

"What things?"

"That you hate him and stuff."

"Of course I don't hate him!"

Rima smirked. "You got pretty defensive just then. Did I touch a nerve?"

"No!"

Just as school was about to end, the sound of pouring rain filled the class room. The corners of my mouth turned down since my mom asked if I could go picked something up from the store, which was why I took my bike.

I decided that I should ask Ikuto to give me a ride or something.

I touched my cheeks with my cool hands when I felt them heating up.

I quickly went to the bathroom when the bell to leave rang. While getting out, my phone started vibrating. It was Tadase, asking if he could have a word with me in private, and he specifically asked if we would meet up in that abandoned room. I texted him back that I would be there soon.

When I got there, he immediately grabbed me and slammed me against the wall. I froze in fear. He said nothing as my knees started shaking.

"T….Tadase?"

He leaned in close to my ear and said, "you and Ikuto…need to stop…"

"Stop? Stop what?!"

"Getting close. Weren't you being forced to marry him?"

I bit my lip. "Yeah…but…"

"I wish you would stop…" his voice was shaky, and I felt like I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck, apologize, and tell him that we couldn't have that kind of relationship.

I wanted to. But I didn't.

Tadase tsked and pushed himself away from me. "Go, dammit," he muttered. I stayed still until he yelled, "_Go!"_

I quickly ran out. I got my outdoor shoes on, ran to my bike in the pouring rain, and jumped on it. There were tears crowding my eyes and regret ringing in my head and my heart.

I peddled as fast as I could to the grocery store. My wet hair stuck awkwardly on my face, and my clothes clung on me like second skin.

_Dammit! Damn everything!_

I took a sharp turn near the edge of a steep hill. My tires couldn't take it, so I was knocked off my bike and sent flying through the air like a rag doll. I hit the hard earth of the hill with very little grass to protect me. I was rolling down violently. I tried covering my face with my arms, but it didn't help that much. As I neared the bottom of the hill, my forehead made contact with a boulder. Hard.

* * *

A passerby noticed the incident and immediately called the ambulance after seeing the girl not move from her spot. After calling, he rushed down to check on her. Blood was pouring out of an open wound right above her left eyebrow.

He checked her pulse to confirm she was still alive.

The paramedics came. They took her into the car and went through her bag to find her school I.D.

After hearing the news, Midori, Tsugumu, and Ami rushed over to the hospital. Midori started crying silently, worrying about Amu's condition.

"She hit her head pretty hard," informed the young male doctor. "She's in a coma."

"When will she wake up?" questioned Ami who started shaking.

"I don't know. If we're lucky, in a couple weeks."

"And if we're not?" asked Tsugumu as he held onto his wife.

The doctor shook his head and left.

"Hey Rima, where's Amu?" asked Kukai as he stood by the school gates with Utau.

There were bags under Rima's eyes. After hearing what happened to her best friend that night, she couldn't sleep, and no one could take her to the hospital.

"What's wrong, Rima?" asked a concerned Nagihiko as he pulled her close to him.

"Amu…" she started. Her throat was dry. "Amu's in a coma…"

"She's _what?!_" exclaimed Kukai.

"She got into an accident while riding her bike. She hit her head and…" Rima started crying into Nagi's chest.

"Oh my God," said Utau as she covered her mouth. She immediately turned towards the school and ran in to find Ikuto. She ran into his class and scanned the room, but she didn't see any sign of him.

While walking back, she tried contacting him through phone, but he wouldn't answer.

"Dammit, Ikuto!" she cried in frustration. She sent him a text asking him to call her back immediately when he gets the chance.

When Kukai went to his class, he was distraught. He kept trying to think in the positive side, that Amu would wake up soon, but he kept having his doubts. He approached Utau who was at her desk, clutching her head in her hands.

"Utau…" he said softly as he sat down next to her.

"That pink haired girl actually grew on me," she stated. "No girl has ever done that before, and I actually consider her as a good friend…if something worse were to happen to her…I don't know what I'd do."

"Did you talk to Ikuto?"

"He's not here and he won't answer his phone for some reason."

"I'm not sure how I'm going to break the news to Tadase…"

"Break what to me?"

The two quickly looked in Tadase's direction. He stared at the two questionably, unsure what was going on. "Why do you two look so down? What happened?"

"Amu was in an accident," said Utau quietly.

"An…accident?" Tadase dropped his bag on the floor and walked over to the two. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it resulted in her slipping into a coma."

Tadase fell to his knees, causing the other students in the class to stop and stare.

"No…" he whispered. He bent down and clutched his head. "This is all my fault!" He screamed.

"Whoa, calm down. Let's not jump to conclusions here," said Kukai as he knelt beside Tadase.

"But it is my fault," he whispered with his voice breaking. "I…I scared her yesterday…"

"What did you do?" growled Utau as she quickly stood up from her seat and glared at the blonde male beneath her.

Kukai looked around the room. People wouldn't stop looking, so he took Tadase by the arm and dragged him outside to a clear hallway. In anger, he pushed him up against the wall and asked, "what the hell did you do to Amu."

Tadase proceeded with telling Kukai exactly what happened the day before. "If I would have known she was going to be riding her bike in the rain, I would have never let her leave like that," he said silently.

Kukai backed away with a sigh. "You….you didn't touch her, did you?"

"No! I would never do something like that! What I told you was the truth. All I did was corner her and tried to convince her that Ikuto was not for her. Touching her like that didn't even cross my mind."

After a few moments of silence…"I believe you," said Kukai.

Matsui Sensei came out of her room after overhearing the conversation. "You two. In my room. Right now."

They looked at each other worriedly but obeyed.

"What's this I hear about Amu?" she asked after shutting the door.

"I…I made a mistake yesterday," started Tadase. "I got her really stressed. She was riding her bike in the rain yesterday and she got into an accident…" His clenched fists started shaking.

"An accident?!" exclaimed the nurse. "Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's in a coma," stated Kukai as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"A coma…" Matsui Sensei took a seat in her cushioned chair. "A coma…" she repeated. After taking a few moments to take it all in she asked, "Does Ikuto know about this yet?"

Tadase flinched at the name but didn't say anything.

"He isn't here and isn't answering his sister's calls," said Kukai. "I'm going to have everyone come with me to the hospital later, though."

"Ikuto needs to hear about this…" whispered the nurse. "After all, she is really important to him…"

"She's important to me as well!" yelled Tadase before storming out of the room. He sped walked back to his classroom and approached Utau, who had her head on the desk.

"Where does your brother live?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I'm going to go see him."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tell him what happened."

Utau saw how desperate he was. She stared at him a moment longer before jotting down Ikuto's address. She handed the small index card to him, which he quickly took out of her hand and left.

He found the large house and rang the doorbell.

"Who is it?" came Ikuto's voice from the intercom.

"Tadase."

"Eh? Kiddy-king? Aren't you supposed to be at school? How did you find me?"

"That's not important. I need to tell you something about Amu."

"Look, if you're going to declare some love-rival crap to me then you can just lea-"

"It has nothing to do about that!" shouted Tadase.

The line on the other end was silent.

"What's up?"

Tadase looked over at the gate and saw Ikuto standing there. He let himself out and leaned against the wall, ready to listen.

"I did something terrible to Amu yesterday…" said Tadase as he looked down, but he looked back at Ikuto who was staring at him with narrowed eyes. "I told her that you two need to stop getting close to each other. I was jealous and didn't know what I was thinking. It was raining really hard and I didn't know that she took her bike. When she left…she got into an accident."

"She…she _what?_ Is she alright?"

Tadase shook his head, then suddenly, Ikuto grabbed his shoulders and asked, "What happened to her?!" His eyes showed that he was scared.

"She's in a coma."

Ikuto took a step back away from Tadase. "She's in…a coma…"

"She's at the hospital closest to her house."

Without saying another word, Ikuto called over his chauffer and hopped into the front seat of a small, black, four-door car.

Tadase started walking.

"Where is Hinamori Amu?" questioned the blue haired man as he walked up to the front desk. "I'm a friend of hers."

The old woman said that they weren't letting anyone see her but family and the moment.

"But I need to see her!" he screamed.

"Ikuto?" asked Ami as she approached him. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Ami, thank God. Please, I beg you. I need to see your sister."

The young girl nodded and showed Ikuto to Amu's room. "My parents are at work, but I refused to go to school today. Not with Amu…" she looked at the floor.

They stopped in front of a door. "Well…this is it. I'll be in the cafeteria."

Ikuto turned the knob and walked in to the air conditioned room. He heard the heart monitor let off a faint _beep, beep, beep_.

On the bed lied Amu with a bandage on her head and some on her arms. He slowly approached her and sat on the chair by the bed. He took her hand and said with his voice breaking, "Dammit, Amu! Why did you have to be so careless! If…if only I was there….I thought you got a ride home…"

He set his head down on the bed and cried.

Days passed by. Amu's friends would come and go, but it was Ikuto that would stay the longest. When Amu's parents were around, they got to know each other a bit better, and eventually, both Midori and Tsugumu came to accept the young prince.

Tadase would come in frequently, apologize to the parents whole heartedly, and then visit Amu for a few minutes before taking off. Amu's parents forgave Tadase after a while, but Ami still held a grudge.

As more days went by, everyone started to worry, but didn't say anything.

Finally, after one month of sleeping on the hospital bed, Amu's eyes flickered open.

* * *

_What…what happened? Where am I? My head hurts…_

I saw a figure standing by my bed with his back towards me.

_Ikuto…?_

My vision was blurry, but after a few moments, I could see. I tried sitting up, but then groaned and sat back down.

"Amu?" came Tadase's voice. I looked at his face which was right above mine. His tears started streaming down and landed on my neck. He was grinning. "You're…you're awake! You're actually awake! I'm so relieved!" He proceeded with hugging me.

I knew I was mad at him, but seeing his reaction now made me forget about all that.

"Where is my parents and Ami?" I asked.

"They're back at your house. I'll get the doctor right now and tell him that you're up, and then I'll call your family."

"Thank you."

After he left, I felt a little disappointed. Tadase wasn't the one I wanted see the most…

_Has Ikuto visited me? How long was I out?_

The doctor came in and examined me. After some tests, he said that I was now perfectly fine, but he wanted me to stay a couple more days before releasing me.

"Did a man with blue hair come in?" I blurted out before the doctor left.

He smiled and said, "Ikuto? He would come in here almost every day and hold your hand. He would usually stay here until visiting hours were over."

I blushed scarlet. "He…he really did that?"

The doctor left the room.

My parents and Ami rushed in with tears forming in their eyes. After spending an hour with me, they stepped outside to let my friends greet me.

They were all in tears as well. Rima was trying to keep her cool and cry silently, but she broke after I smiled at her. She hugged me and sobbed into my chest.

I looked over at Utau who was holding Kukai's hand. Ignoring that for now I asked her, "where's Ikuto?"

"He hasn't heard the news yet," she said with a small smile. "But I'm sure that right after I tell him, he'll be here a moment later."

"I…I want to see him."

Rima backed away as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "We should step outside, guys. We need to call Ikuto, because I'm sure he'll want to see her too.

They all left the room.

I got out of my bed and walked over to the large window and looked out.

_The doctor told me I was out for a month…I have a lot of catching up to do in school. I wonder what happened between Utau and Kukai. We all saw it coming._

I smiled.

About ten minutes later, while I was sitting on top of my bed reading some magazines with pictures of Ami in it, Ikuto burst into the room out of breath.

We stared at each other for quite some time, and then he started walking over to me. I set the magazine to the side and got out of bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he stood a few feet away from me.

"I'm…I'm doing fine…you?"

Instead of responding, he embraced me. I yelped in surprise, but then eventually wrapped my arms around him as well. It was the first time we've ever hugged.

"Oh Amu….I was so worried…I wanted to have you deported to my country because our medical service is amazing, but I honored your parents' wishes. You were all that was on my mind this past month, and I've lost tons of sleep over this."

We stayed silent.

Finally, Ikuto spoke again.

"I love you, Amu."

My eyes snapped open. He then held me at arm's length and repeated, "I love you."

There was sadness in Ikuto's eyes and I didn't understand why. He just found out that I woke up after a month of being in a coma, and confessed. Shouldn't he look happier?

I opened my mouth to speak, but he turned around and said, "I'm sorry, Amu. I want to stay with you longer, but I have stuff to do…"

He then left.

"But…" said Amu to herself as she stared at the closed door. "I love you, too…"

* * *

**Oh jeez... you guys are going to hate me like no other...**

**Amu: NO SPOILERS! Your readers hate you.**

**Bl00dyshad0w: T_T Nooo! But..but I need to tell them...that...that...this story is almost finished!**

**Amu: _Whhhat?! _Will it have a bad ending?!**

**Bl00dyshad0w: No spoilers, right? :P**

**Amu: ...You suck.**


	8. The Sad Decision

**I deeply apologize for my absence. I was just...not in the mood to write, I guess. But I quit my dumb job! Hooray! Now I need to find a new one. Plus I just got back from the dentist and they filled my cavities. And there is the left side of my mouth that they need to do -_- My face is numb.**

* * *

_Recap:_

_I opened my mouth to speak, but he turned around and said, "I'm sorry, Amu. I want to stay with you longer, but I have stuff to do…"_

_He then left._

_"But…" said Amu to herself as she stared at the closed door. "I love you, too…"_

* * *

I was finally out of the hospital. I felt like I just took a short nap, but time moved on without me as I was unconscious. Of course, my friends and family kept a close eye on me in case something happens and I'm knocked into another coma again.

"No more riding your bike! Understood?!" cried my father as I stared at him from my bed.

"Dear," said my mother as she stepped into the room. She fixed her glasses with her pointer finger and looked sternly at my dad. "She can ride her bike if she wants." She then turned to me and added, "as long as it's not raining."

They turned the lights off and left my room.

The moon casted its light down and lit up my surroundings. I stared at it and thought of Ikuto. I haven't seen him since that day at the hospital.

_What would he have done if he stayed a little longer? Would we…_

I shook my head in frustration and fell into my pillows. I covered my red face and sighed.

Before I finally drifted off into sleep I thought, _what has he been doing that is keeping him from seeing me?_

I had school the next day. There were plenty of assignments that I needed to catch up on, but the teachers granted me mercy and cut my work in half. I did most of it at the hospital when I had the time.

"Wake up, Amu," said my mom as she gently rocked me awake.

I slowly got up and rubbed my eyes. "Morning," I yawned. I started walking towards my uniform that was hanged on my wall. "Did you make breakfast today?"

"Yeah. I decided to go with the more traditional approach though. I hope Rima doesn't mind."

"She probably will, but she'll get over it since it's food."

"True, true."

We both giggled a little.

"Well, I'll be off. I'm taking Ami to school today, too. Be careful, alright? Tell Ikuto I said hi."

Now there was one thing I wasn't going to get over. My mom was actually being friendly with Ikuto. Ever since I was knocked out, he's been conversing with them more, and my parents saw the good and caring side of him.

I put my clothes on, took care of my hygiene, and then made my way downstairs. The smell of rice and fish filled the air around me.

The doorbell rang.

I rushed towards the door and let Rima in. She was wearing a thin sweater.

"It's getting cold out," she said as she took her shoes off. I lingered by the open doorway a little longer to feel the cool, crisp air. After agreeing, I shut the door and followed her into the kitchen.

"Wait a minute…" said Rima as she stared down at the table before us. "Where's the western breakfast that your mom usually makes?"

"She didn't feel like making that today. It's food, Rima. Eat it."

She pouted. "Fine, fine."

I put on a light jacket before we left the house. The sun was warm, but there was a cool breeze.

"So what's been going on while I was gone?" I questioned as we were halfway to school.

Rima's eyes lit up. "I've got something _juicy _to share with you, my dear friend. Can you handle it?"

"Yes. Bring it."

"Kukai and Utau are secretly dating."

"_Whhhaaatt?_"

"Yeah! I saw them kissing behind the gym! And whenever they're with each other in public, they look awkward. It looks like they want to hold hands or something, but they don't because…well…I don't know why they just openly express their love."

"Utau is a princess. That's why."

"So? You're not a princess and you're supposedly getting married to a prince."

"That's…that's different…" my face heated up as I looked away.

"_Hmmm? _Is that so?"

At school, the rest of the gang came over to greet me at the gates. Yaya embraced me and Nagihiko gave my shoulder a squeeze as he smiled down at me. I looked over at Kukai and Utau. Rima was right; they did look very awkward next to each other. Utau quickly hugged me and Kukai gave me a pat on the back.

Tadase stared at me silently. I knew he wanted to apologize once again for his behavior that day.

I smiled. "Don't worry about it, Tadase. I forgive you."

He gave me a relieved smile before we all headed inside the building.

During lunch, Kukai and Utau left the table together, saying that they were going to buy something from the vending machine.

"Those two are always going to the vending machine during lunch," started Nagi after gulping down some rice. "But we all know what they're really up two. You'd think they'd come up with a more clever excuse to escape."

"I think it's cute," I said as I smiled.

I thought back to what Rima and I were talking about earlier. Then a question dawned on me.

"Hey…have you guys seen Ikuto? He wasn't in class today. I thought he might be busy or something…but I'm actually not so sure…"

"No," started Tadase. "And Utau hasn't mentioned anything either. I have his address though, so I'll give it to you after school if you want to check up on him."

"Why do you have his address?"

"Well…uh…"

"He's the one who told Ikuto about the accident," stated Rima as she locked her empty bento.

"You were?" I questioned as I turned to Tadase.

"Y-yeah…"

"…Thank you."

As I was walking back to class with Nagihiko, I spotted Utau by herself. I ran up to her with Nagi behind me.

"Utau!" I called as I came towards her.

"Wh-what?!" she jumped behind a corner and slowly peeked out.

"Utau?" I slowed to a jog and then walked up to her. "Did I scare you? I'm sorry."

"No! N-Not at all! Ha. Ha ha!"

Nagihiko crossed his arms and smirked. "Did you and Kukai buy the whole vending machine? You guys didn't even come back. You guys never come back. We all know what's going on, Utau."

Utau blushed and looked away.

"A-Anyways!" I started. "What's up with Ikuto? Why isn't he at school today?"

"He…he hasn't been coming to school a lot. It started when you were hospitalized. He would miss school just to see you. But now that you're here, I don't know why he isn't coming again. I have a feeling something bad is up. Want to come to his place with me after school?"

"Sure. Will you tell Tadase that? He told me that he would give me his address."

"Sure thing. Is there anything else you need to know?"

The bell signaling class was about to start rang.

"No, that's it," I started as I turned around to leave. "Thank you."

I focused hard during class. I borrowed notes, participated, but there was just one thing bugging me…My eyes focused on the empty desk towards the front of the room.

_Ikuto…what are you up to?_

The bell that ended school rang. I got my stuff together as Nagi waited for me at the front of the room.

"Got everything?" he asked as I approached him. I nodded my head.

I took my phone out of my skirt pocket as we began walking downstairs. I had no texts or calls. I was about to send a text to Ikuto, but I stopped myself. I didn't want to seem…super concerned or anything… With a sigh, I put my phone back into my pocket.

"No texts from him?" asked Nagihiko with a teasing voice as we rounded a corner.

My face started steaming. "N-No! I mean…no. Who said I was waiting for a text from him?"

"_Ahh_…youth."

"Don't start talking like you're middle-aged!"

"Ah, Amu!" called Utau as she waved at me from the shoe lockers. Next to her was Yaya and Rima.

"Where's Tadase?" I asked as me and Nagi approached. Rima was by his side in an instant.

"He said that he needed to pick up some groceries for his grandma," said Yaya as she put her outdoor shoes on. "Yaya better get going soon. Yaya's mom doesn't like it when Yaya doesn't come home early."

Utau and I said goodbye to everyone before heading off ourselves. It was still pretty chilly, and the sun decided that it would be funny to hide behind the thick clouds, making it cooler. I pulled my sleeves over my hands. When I looked over at Utau, she was shivering.

"I-I-It's never this cold in Freeden. It's blazing hot twenty-four-seven. My body isn't used to this weather…I haven't even seen snow yet…"

"You haven't?"

Utau shook her head. "I'm hoping I'll be here long enough to see it, though."

"Let's go snowboarding then."

"But…I don't know how to snowboard…"

"You'll get the hang of it eventually. I actually spaced out while snowboarding and fell into a random ditch once. I was stuck on that mountain for a while as the people on the ski lift made fun of me. I didn't really mind it that much, but I eventually got myself out after a while. I was snowboarding with Kukai at the time, and he was waiting down the mountain with me. He was confused since he didn't see me at all and thought that I just disappeared into thin air or something. I was a bit embarrassed that that happened though."

"K-Kukai?"

"Yeah. If he saw what happened, I'm sure he would have helped me out right away, and talked trash to the people on the ski lift or whatever. He's just that kind of guy. He's competitive, but he is also supportive."

"You seem to know him a lot…" Utau's eyes casted downward.

I stared for a moment. She genuinely loved him, and was jealous of me at the moment. I smiled and said, "He's like a big brother to me. You don't need to worry about it, Utau. I understand your feeling, and I think you two make a great couple."

She looked up at me and gave me a warm smile. She took my hand in hers as we continued on our way. "Thank you, Amu. I've never had a friend like you before."

After a few minutes, we finally arrived at the gates of a large house.

_Of course he would live in a place like this. He's rich._

Utau rang the doorbell. We waited for about a minute when she rang the doorbell twice."

"That's weird…" she started as she crossed her arms. "Have you texted him at all today?"

"Well…" my face heated up. I took out my phone and I saw that I had one unread message. It was from Ikuto, asking me where I was.

_I'm at your place. Where are you?_ I texted back.

A moment later I got a reply. _Go home._

"I….I think Ikuto is back at my place…" I looked up at Utau who had a small smile on her face.

"Go," she said. "My house isn't too far from here. Thank you for the talk."

I grabbed her hands and kept them in mine for a few more moments before letting go and running off.

"Ikuto," I started. "What are you up to?"

The gates to my house came into view. I climbed up the wall and jumped down, since I was too impatient to ring the bell. I quickly took out my key and unlocked the door. Throwing my shoes to the side, I yelled out my presence.

"We're in the living room, Amu," came my dad's voice.

I walked into the large room. My family was sitting on one couch, and across them, Ikuto was sitting on the other. He was leaned back, relaxed. A cup of hot coffee was in front of him on the coffee table.

I stopped and took it all in as I panted.

"We need to talk, Amu," said Ikuto. There was a serious look on his face.

I sat on a one person couch in between the two longer couches. I looked back and forth, worried, since everyone looked so serious. Even Ami.

"So…what's up?"

"My father…" started Ikuto as he sat up straight. "He said that my time here is up. He told me that he found someone for me in Freeden, and I am to marry her right away…"

"I…I see…" I bit the inside of my cheek. My heart was suddenly beating ten times faster, and I adverted my eyes to my clenched hands that rested on my lap.

"Utau is to leave with me as well."

I quickly looked up.

_Not after what we talked about earlier!_ I thought as tears started forming in my eyes._ Not when I've developed feelings for you!_

"Sh-She can't! She wants to see the snow!"

"Amu…" whispered my mom. My dad held her hand.

"It wasn't my decision, Amu," said Ikuto.

"But…but what about…." I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Our marriage?"

I slowly looked Ikuto in the eye. I nodded and he looked away.

"My father said that you and your family are free now. You can forget that this ever happened, and go back to your normal life. I apologize for what has happened."

I felt a tear drop onto my hand.

As Ikuto stood up he said, "Utau and I will be leaving tonight. Breaking the news will be hard on her…but she will come with me, one way or another." He started walking out. He turned his head to the side and said, "Goodbye, Amu," before walking out of my life.

I sat there, frozen. I felt myself shaking. I felt myself crying. My mouth was slightly open, ready for a scream to come out, but nothing did. My feet were ready to move on its own, out the door, and towards Ikuto, but it was glued to the floor.

"Amu…" whispered my sister as she kneeled down in front of me. She held my clenched fists in her hands and bit her lip, unsure what to do.

"I'm sorry it came down to this…" said my dad silently as he looked at me. "I wish it never turned out this way."

"It's not your fault, dad," I said as I started getting up.

"No…it's my fault…" said Ami. She wrapped her arms around my legs and cried. "If I never stepped on that dog, then Onee-chan wouldn't be so sad!"

Her action and words stunned me. Tears started streaming down my face at this point. "Ami," I said as I gently helped her get up. "It's not your fault. I'll get over this soon, I promise. I'm just happy I got to meet someone like Ikuto…love someone like Ikuto…"

"See, Onee-chan! You love him!" Ami cried more.

My mom got up and gently squeezed our shoulders. "I'll make some dinner, okay?" She wiped a forming tear away before exiting to the kitchen.

My heart was torn in two.

The next day, I was too depressed to get up. I texted Rima that I wasn't going to school, and asked her to bring my homework to me later. My parents were perfectly fine with it, but Ami went. I curled up into a ball and hugged my pillow.

_I'm sure Ikuto is back in his own country right now…I wonder who this girl is…Is she pretty? Is she a princess? Is she Ikuto's type? Didn't Ikuto say that he loved me?_

Those kinds of questions kept swirling in my head.

Later, Rima came over. Ami was still at school doing drama club activities, and my mom was still at work. My dad was home, and he let Rima in. She put a small stack of papers on my desk and ran to my bed.

"Amu, what is going on?! Kukai said that Utau just suddenly disappeared! She wouldn't answer any calls, and she wasn't home, and neither was Ikuto! And why are you so depressed?"

"He….They…They're…" the tears started forming again. "They're gone!" I shouted before stuffing my face into my soft pillow. My wails of agony wouldn't stop. I rocked back and forth as Rima tried to calm me down by making soothing sounds and rubbing my back.

"Hey…hey…" she said softly. "Calm down now…tell me what happened."

I sat up. Rima handed me her handkerchief and I wiped my face with it. I told her everything that happened last night in detail. Towards the end of my story, both of us started tearing up. She held onto me as we both cried.

"I love him, Rima," I said into her shoulder. "I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm deeply in love with him. The fact that he's going to get married to another woman…is killing me."

Rima didn't say anything. She let me talk as she pet my hair.

"I'm glad that I met him…but I wish he stayed a little longer at the hospital…he told me he loved me, but if he stayed…he would have known that I loved him as well…"

"I'm sure this is hard for him as it is for you."

I pulled away from her, and I quickly changed the topic to school.

The following day, I parted with Rima to go to class with Nagi. I stood in front of the sliding door for a few moments. I knew that if I opened the door, Ikuto wouldn't be there, but I couldn't accept it.

"Breathe, Amu. You can do this," said Nagi as he stood by me.

I nodded my head and opened the door. Everyone's head turned towards me, and I tried keep myself from looking at Ikuto's unoccupied desk.

"I heard that he's gone," said one of my female classmates. "I'm sorry…everyone knows that…you two liked each other a lot."

Her male friend who was standing next to her nudged her in the side. She cried out in pain. Her male friend whispered, "You're not helping, idiot."

Nagihiko murmured something to me, but I didn't pay attention. I blocked everything out that day except for focusing on the teacher. During lunch, I told Nagi that I wouldn't be eating with them since I wanted to be alone. He nodded his head and didn't say a word.

I went up to the roof and held onto the railings. I shuddered at the cold breeze, but I quickly got used to it. After school, Rima and Nagi ran up to me as I hopped on my bike.

"We have something to tell you," said Rima. "Nagi and I….we think that you should follow your heart. That's all." They turned around and walked away.

"Follow my heart?" I questioned silently. "I don't even know what my heart wants me to do."

And with that, I left.

* * *

**I almost teared while writing this the other day. And I thought of something kind of cool! But I won't do it if you, my readers, don't want me to. I was thinking of creating this story in Ikuto's perspective. I don't think it would be as long as this story...maybe half of it, but I don't know. I'll set a poll up on my page and you guys vote. I'll have it up until this story is finished! Thanks! **


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